Pharmacist, Provider Partnership Can Help Increase RSV Vaccine Uptake

Partnerships between community pharmacists and local primary care providers can help increase the uptake of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines, according to recent data published in the journal JAPhA Practice Innovations.¹ Authors of the study also emphasized the key role community pharmacists play in educating and providing comprehensive care to patients.

Pharmacist, Provider Partnership Can Help Increase RSV Vaccine Uptake / Kitsawet - stock.adobe.com

RSV causes serious respiratory illness, especially in infants and older adults. Prevention of the disease was previously limited to palivizumab, a costly antibody. However, 3 recently approved vaccines have come to the market: Pfizer’s Abrysvo, GSK’s Arexvy and Moderna’s mRESVIA. The vaccines are all approved for use in adults 60 years and older, with Abrysvo also approved for use in adults 18 to 59 years of age who are at an increased risk of severe RSV disease.²

“When a new vaccine becomes available, patients often have to navigate different resources of information to determine whether they should receive that vaccine,” the authors wrote. “Understanding patient motivators for receiving vaccines in a community pharmacy setting, a common site for vaccinations, is essential for designing effective intervention strategies and marketing campaigns to increase vaccine acceptance.”

A team of investigators from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and Albertsons Companies conducted a study to see which marketing methods are the main factors that affect patients’ decisions to receive the RSV vaccine. Data for the prospective multisite survey study was gathered from 2 chain grocery stores in Maryland between December 2023 and March 2024.

For the study, a survey was given to eligible patients who came to the pharmacy. The survey consisted of 8 questions, including questions on comorbidities, how patients heard of the RSV vaccine, and which marketing tactics had the most influence on their decision to receive the RSV vaccine. The study included 48 patients between the ages of 60 and 88, of which 52.1% had comorbidities. Of comorbidities, diabetes and chronic lung disease were the most frequently reported, followed by cardiovascular disease, weakened immune system, congestive heart failure, and kidney disease.

The study found that television commercials or news was the largest influential marketing method at 62.5%, followed by primary care providers at 54.2%. When asked which method had the most influence on their decision to get the vaccine, the largest was primary care providers at 41.7%. Only 20.8% of participants said they heard about the RSV vaccine from pharmacists, with 8.3% saying pharmacists had the most influence on their decision.

The study also collected data on nonmarketing factors that motivated patients to receive the RSV vaccine. The most commonly reported motivator was wanting to lower the risk of getting sick at 58.3%, followed by primary care provider suggestion at 50%.

“Patients can conveniently receive RSV vaccines in the community pharmacy setting,” the authors concluded. “Although primary care providers were the main motivators for participants to receive the RSV vaccine, this highlights that multiple factors affect a patient’s decision. Community pharmacists have an opportunity to focus efforts on building relationships and partnering with local providers’ offices to help increase uptake of new and existing vaccinations.”

READ MORE: Immunization Resource Center

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References

1. Stetzer S, Layson-Wolf C, Seung H, et al. Determining patient motivators to receiving the respiratory syncytial virus vaccine in the community pharmacy setting. JAPhA Practice Innovations. 2025. DOI:10.1016/j.japhpi.2025.100036

2. Kelleher K, Subramaniam N, Drysdale SB. The recent landscape of RSV vaccine research. Ther Adv Vaccines Immunother. 2025 Jan 10;13:25151355241310601. doi: 10.1177/25151355241310601. PMID: 39802673; PMCID: PMC11724408.