Expert Q&A: Vaccine Hesitancy Remains the Biggest Barrier to Flu Vaccination

In an interview with Pharmacy Times, Spencer Durham, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS, BCIDP, associate clinical professor of pharmacy practice and director of professional affairs at Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy in Huntsville, Alabama, discussed the most common barriers to influenza vaccination and how pharmacists can help patients overcome them.

Durham identified vaccine hesitancy, which he said has grown progressively worse in recent years, as the biggest barrier, noting that patients still worry the vaccine will give them the flu or question its value after contracting influenza despite being vaccinated. He emphasized that because nearly every patient meets the criteria for the flu vaccine, pharmacists should make it part of their workflow to ask each patient whether they have received it or would like to, while tailoring vaccine administration to their practice setting.

Durham added that pharmacy remains a trusted profession, positioning pharmacists to counter misinformation and provide accurate education about vaccines.

Pharmacy Times: What are the biggest barriers to influenza vaccination that pharmacists can help patients overcome?

Spencer Durham, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS, BCIDP: The biggest thing that I still see is vaccine hesitancy, and I think it has gotten progressively worse over the last few years. I still get patients that tell me that they don't want to get the flu vaccine because it's going to give them the flu. I have a whole prepared speech that I give to them about how it's not going to give you the flu, and we talk about why it's not going to give you the flu. But I think that remains the biggest thing—and the vaccine hesitancy with it.

Then the other thing I sometimes see is that [individuals] will say they got the vaccine before, but then they ended up getting the flu. So, I have another prepared remark where we talk about that, saying yes, you can still get the flu, but the vaccine helps keep you out of the hospital. There's just a lot of not understanding what the vaccine's really supposed to do.

Pharmacy Times: How can pharmacists integrate influenza vaccination counseling into their daily workflow?

Durham: Almost everyone's going to meet the criteria to receive the flu vaccine, so one thing they need to think about is making it part of their workflow to ask every patient who comes in if they've received it or if they would like to receive it. I think giving the vaccine is going to be specific to where you work and what the normal workflow is, but I think asking every patient about it is important.

Pharmacy Times: Is there anything you would like to add?

Durham: Going back to the misinformation and the vaccine hesitancy, I just think that's really where pharmacists can play a key role. Pharmacy is still very much a trusted profession, so hopefully pharmacists can play a big role in talking to [individuals] and providing the correct education and information about the vaccines.