Consider consumer behavior for guiding effective vaccine promotion in the pharmacy.
With most Americans now eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines, effective vaccine promotion efforts are key to returning to normalcy. However, although approximately 242 million COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the United States to date, many Americans are still hesitant to get the shot.1
A paper recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) proposed communication tactics for promoting vaccines based on behavioral economics and consumer behavior theory.2
Recent surveys showed that the proportion of the US population willing to be vaccinated has fluctuated over the past several months. Many individuals who are vaccine hesitant have indicated that, although they are open to receiving the vaccine eventually, they are still waiting for more information to become available.2
In the NEJM paper, Stacy Wood, PhD, a professor of marketing and executive director of the Consumer Innovation Collaborative at the NC State Poole College of Management, and her colleague Kevin Schulman, MD, MBA, professor of medicine and clinical hospitalist at Stanford University, developed strategies aimed to collectively create an effective vaccine-promotion effort.2
Here are some strategies that pharmacists can use to connect with vaccine-hesitant patients2:
Furthermore, the authors recommended the following key actions for health care providers.2
“The country has made an incredible investment in fast-tracking SARS-CoV-2 vaccines from conception to market, which would make it even more tragic if we fail to curtail the virus simply because Americans are hesitant to be vaccinated,” Wood said.3
As the most accessible health care providers, pharmacists are well positioned to increase patients’ likelihood of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. A recent survey conducted by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) showed that independent pharmacies in particular can improve vaccine uptake in vulnerable communities, including for individuals who may be disproportionately affected by COVID-19. However, receiving adequate vaccine supply is key.
References
Socioeconomic Disparities Persisted Alongside Improving Vaccination Rates In US Over 11-Year Period
April 16th 2024Findings indicating that socioeconomic disparities widened gaps in vaccination timeliness signal the need for increased efforts to promote timely vaccination among children from families with lower income and those without private insurance.
Pfizer Announces Positive Top-Line Data for Abrysvo Immunization in Adults Aged 18 to 59 Years
April 9th 2024Abrysvo is currently approved to treat RSV-associated lower respiratory tract disease in adults aged 60 years and older, and in infants through the immunization of pregnant individuals.