| The app is useful to help patients keep track of their vaccination history |
“I see [the app] as a nice high tech kind of replacement of that [vaccine wallet card] to keep track of your vaccination records and your history.” (Pharmacist 1) “It was a really good idea for patients because they generally remember flu vaccines but everything else just kind of goes out the door after they have it…having an actual something at their fingertips to let them know they received the vaccine is a good idea.” (Pharmacist 4) |
| Introducing the app and encouraging patients to download it at the beginning of the vaccine clinic workflow is ideal |
“When somebody came in looking for a flu shot, we usually have them fill out a very quick screening form. So at that point, we would have told them about the app; that they could have downloaded it while they were filling out that form and waiting for us to prepare their dose.” (Pharmacist 1) “I think it’s just [introducing the app] on the front end… No one’s flu shot is immediately ready most of the time, so I think that if you pushed that…something to fill [patients’] time while we’re processing the prescription, while we’re getting it ready, might be better than doing it more on the back end of will call.” (Pharmacist 2) |
| Patient-level barriers to technology exist that can limit widespread use by community-dwelling patients |
“Some patients did not have an iPhone, they had an Android. Some patients didn’t want to use any apps on their phones and weren’t comfortable with downloading any apps or using any apps. Some patients did not want a security passcode on [their phone]…they didn’t want to maybe use the technology in that way on their phone, so they didn’t want the app.” (Pharmacist 1) “There are…a lot of people…that…don’t have a smartphone, or are not good with technology and they use their iPhone to make calls, and maybe take pictures, so they don’t really know how to do anything beyond that; and a lot of times they don’t want to do anything beyond that.” (Pharmacist 2) |
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| Hands-on training of pharmacy staff with the app is the most effective way to facilitate its use. |
“We also suggested that the pharmacists and student pharmacists and technicians download the app themselves so they could to see how it worked; to get familiar with it.” (Pharmacist 1) “If everybody had that hands-on experience…going through [the app] as if you are the patient and you are provided this information, kind of going through that experience yourself for the first time, would have been beneficial…to learn more about what information the patient receives actually through the app.” (Pharmacist 3) |
