Perceptions of student-pharmacist led COVID point-of-care-testing

ABSTRACT

Service or Program Pharmacy, nursing, and other non-medical students at Binghamton University assisted in the administration of weekly point-of-care (POC) COVID-19 surveillance testing to the student, faculty, and staff population. The program was developed by Binghamton University and the tests were administered at Binghamton's on-campus surveillance testing center. Justification/Documentation Ensuring students can remain on campus and get a quality in-person education is integral to meeting Binghamton's educational standards. Students were tested frequently so proper mitigation measures could be enacted quickly. Testing participants were given a nasal swab at the Surveillance Testing Center and instructed on its use by an administrator. In a survey conducted by our research team, 91.9% (203/221) of respondents stated they were either "very comfortable" or "somewhat comfortable" receiving COVID-19 testing from pharmacist students, as compared with 93.7% (208/222) who were comfortable with nursing students. Additionally, only 6 participants (2.7%) said they believe pharmacists should be less involved in POC testing going forward, as compared to 139 (62.3%) who stated they want more involvement. Both of these measures point towards a public perception that the field of pharmacy should have greater involvement in POC testing. Adaptability Pharmacist-led POC testing programs, if authorized through legislation, would be best implemented at retail pharmacies due to their accessibility. Although the results of our survey skewed young and female, results did not vary significantly between the age groups or sexes and should be broadly generalizable to the public. Significance: Greater involvement for pharmacists in POC testing can be implemented in retail pharmacies in New York state following a change in legislation and by granting pharmacists provider status nationwide. Pharmacies are more accessible than doctor's offices, especially for underserved rural and minority populations;allowing pharmacists more authority to administer testing could help improve healthcare access and health outcomes.