Pharmacist-Led Interventions Boost Vaccine Uptake in Older Adults

Pharmacist-led interventions were found to significantly boost vaccination rates among older adults, according to a study published in Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy.¹ When serving as educators, facilitators, immunizers, and advocators, pharmacists play a key role in ensuring patients stay protected against prevalent infectious diseases.

“To reduce the burden of disease and promote healthy aging, recommended vaccines for older adults include those against COVID-19, herpes zoster (HZ), influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and pneumococcal disease,” wrote authors of the study. “For example, in the US, the immunization programs targeting these diseases are projected to prevent 65 million cases over the next 30 years.”

However, despite a significant breadth of research supporting their efficacy, vaccination rates to protect against these diseases remain considerably suboptimal across various populations. But when stratifying vaccine uptake and disease outcomes among specific populations, those above 60 years old are some of the most important patients to target for vaccination.

Researchers conducted this study due to the lack of previous evidence regarding the pharmacist's role in vaccine administration for all 5 of the most prominent vaccine schedules. | image credit: borislav15 / stock.adobe.com

According to CDC statistics, 64% of adults over 65 received at least 1 dose of the pneumococcal vaccine, 43% of those 60 and over received at least 1 dose of the HZ vaccine, and 89.8% of adults over 65 reported at least 1 dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.²

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Despite some of these vaccine rates covering a large portion of the older adult population, experts in the immunization and public health spaces continue to call for further initiatives to boost overall vaccine uptake, especially among adults 60 years and older.

“According to a CDC report, 70%-85% of influenza-associated deaths and 50%-70% of influenza-associated hospitalizations occurred among people aged 65 years and older,” continued the authors.¹ “The reported COVID-19 case fatality rates among older people in China further highlights the escalating risk with advancing age: 3.6% in individuals aged 60-69, 8% in those aged 70-79, and 14.8% in those aged 80 years and older.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the pharmacist’s role in administering vaccines has expanded dramatically as they are now being employed to administer immunization for all the aforementioned vaccines with improved outcomes and expanded access for patients.³ Pharmacist-led interventions have also been known to boost influenza vaccination rates, with pharmacy-administered flu vaccines increasing by over 14% from 2015 to 2019.⁴

However, while the pharmacist’s role in vaccine administration has noticeably expanded in recent history, little research has been conducted on how they’ve boosted overall vaccine uptake for all major vaccines. In their exploration of the COVID-19, HZ, influenza, pneumococcal, and RSV vaccines, researchers presented the pharmacist’s role in administering immunization and the outcomes that stemmed from pharmacists’ interventions.

After searching databases for studies that explored pharmacists’ role in immunization, the researchers included 13 studies in their final analysis. Spanning multiple countries across the world, 7 were conducted in the US while the remaining 6 were spread across Japan, Canada, Italy, Australia, and Jordan.

“The meta-analysis revealed that the pooled relative risk of vaccine uptake increased significantly in both randomized and pre-post studies when pharmacists were involved in vaccination services,” they wrote.¹ “These findings align with prior review studies, highlighting the positive influence of pharmacist-led interventions in increasing vaccine uptake compared to usual care or other interventions without pharmacist involvement.”

Overall, pharmacist-led interventions led to a threefold increase in vaccine uptake among older adult populations of at least 60 years old. While each study included focused on various aspects of pharmacists’ roles, it was their ability to demonstrate skills as educators, facilitators, immunizers, and advocators within the immunization space that highlighted the pharmacist’s expanded role.

Researchers, however, uncovered more robust evidence toward some vaccines compared with others, leading them to suggest a need for further research into the pharmacist’s role in administering vaccines.

“Policymakers and health care organizations should prioritize pharmacist-led initiatives that leverage their diverse roles to improve vaccination coverage and promote healthy aging,” concluded the authors.¹ “Future research should explore the impact of pharmacist-led intervention on COVID-19 and RSV vaccination uptake among older adults, as no interventional studies have yet been conducted in this area.”

READ MORE: Immunization Resource Center

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References

1. Amare SN, Yee KC, Leung M, et al. Impact of pharmacist-led interventions on COVID-19, herpes zoster, influenza, pneumococcal, and respiratory syncytial virus vaccines uptake in people aged 60 years and older: systematic review and meta-analysis. Res Social Adm Pharm. Published online July 1, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2025.06.110

2. Vaccination coverage among Adults in the United States, National Health Interview Survey, 2022. CDC. October 4, 2024. Accessed August 5, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/adultvaxview/publications-resources/adult-vaccination-coverage-2022.html

3. Jordan D, Guiu-Segura J, Sousa-Pinto G, et al. How COVID-19 has impacted the role of pharmacists around the world. Farm Hosp. 2021;45(2):89-95. https://doi.org/10.7399/fh.11652

4. Larson A, Musse I, Mitrovich R, et al. The effect of pharmacists as vaccinators on uptake of influenza vaccination in Denmark: an interrupted time series analysis. Res Social Adm Pharm. Published online June 12, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2025.06.100