Q&A: Educating Patients on Importance of Flu Vaccination
Lauren Angelo, PharmD, MBA, discusses effective ways pharmacists can educate and encourage their communities on the importance of flu vaccination.
In the US, influenza kills over 36000 people and results in an additional 200000 hospitalizations each year.1 Although 67% of adults in the country agree that an annual flu vaccination is the most effective way to prevent flu-related deaths and hospitalizations, 45% say they do not plan to or are unsure if they will get vaccinated this season.2 With peak flu season coming up, it’s crucial that pharmacists educate their patients on the importance of flu vaccines.
Q&A: Educating Patients on Importance of Flu Vaccination / Sherry Young - Stock.adobe.com
At the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) 2024 Annual Convention and Expo, held October 26 to 29 in Columbus, Ohio, Drug Topics sat down with Lauren Angelo, PharmD, MBA, associate dean of academic affairs and an associate professor of pharmacy practice at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science College of Pharmacy, to discuss the recommended timing for flu vaccination, how pharmacists can help ensure patients receive vaccines at the optimal time, and effective ways pharmacists can educate and encourage their communities on the importance of flu vaccination.
Click here to watch the full video interview with Lauren Angelo.
Drug Topics: Can you discuss the recommended timing for flu vaccination and how pharmacists can ensure their patients receive their vaccines at the optimal time?
Lauren Angelo, PharmD, MBA: When we think about flu season, peak influenza activity is typically December, January, February. We want vaccines on board before that to help protect them, but not too early. We do see waning of the influenza vaccine, it's typically around 5 to 6 months. It just really depends on the patient's age and what's going on with their immune system. If we vaccinate too soon, they might not be protected during those peak times. We [need to] think about our older patients whose immune systems just don't work as well as they once had.
The other group is our pregnant individuals. [What] we're trying to do with pregnant women is not just protect mom, but provide that passive immunity to the newborn. Children can't get vaccinated until they're 6 months of age. So unfortunately, we see the highest number of hospitalizations and deaths in little infants who are less than 3 months of age. If we can provide passive immunity by vaccinating a pregnant individual, that's great, but we've got to think about timing.
I know vaccines come to the pharmacies, typically late July and August, but for many patients, that's too soon. The individual for whom that would be appropriate would be a woman who is pregnant in her third trimester. We can tap into that passive immunity, but if she's in the first or second trimester, we might want to wait a little bit longer. For most of our patients, it's recommended we wait until September or October to vaccinate, just so we can provide that immunity at the time when it's most needed.
Click here to view all of our coverage from NCPA 2024.
