BACKGROUND: Older adults are at increased risk of severe outcomes from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), including hospitalization and/or death1,2. During the 2023-2024 RSV season, two RSV vaccines were available in the United States (US) for the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV in adults aged ≥ 60 years (the adjuvanted RSVPreF3 vaccine [GSK]3 and the RSVpreF vaccine [Pfizer]4). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that adults aged ≥ 60 years can receive RSV vaccination with shared clinical decision-making (SCDM)5. Under this recommendation framework, healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients are expected to jointly decide whether patients should receive RSV vaccination based on SCDM discussions. The objective of this analysis was to describe patient experiences with RSV vaccination and associated SCDM discussions during the first season of RSV vaccine availability.
METHODS: Between September 26-November 7, 2023, a cross-sectional, web-based survey was administered to adults who were recently vaccinated with an adult vaccine (not restricted to RSV vaccinations). Adults aged ≥ 18 years were recruited from an online panel and were required to live in the US, read and speak English, and have received ≥ 1 vaccination within the past 3 weeks at a pharmacy or HCP office. Adults were excluded if they were HCPs or received ≥ 4 vaccines at their most recent vaccination visit. The full survey targeted approximately 900 adults, with approximately equal numbers of respondents aged 18-49, 50-64, and ≥ 65 years. As part of the survey, adults aged ≥ 60 years were asked questions related to their experiences with RSV vaccination during the first season of vaccine availability. Survey responses for this subgroup of older adults were analyzed descriptively. Results should be interpreted considering that the sample includes only older adults who were recently vaccinated, which is not representative of the full population of US older adults.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A total of 938 recently vaccinated adults completed the survey, including 440 adults aged ≥ 60 years. Although most recently vaccinated older adults reported that they had heard of RSV disease (85.7%) and that RSV vaccines are available for older adults (83.2%), only 34.2% reported being knowledgeable about RSV. At their most recent vaccination visit, a minority of older adults reported that an HCP asked to discuss RSV vaccination (17.7%) or recommended RSV vaccination (22.3%). Results did not vary substantially by the presence of comorbid conditions of interest. Among this sample of recently vaccinated older adults, approximately 26.4% reported that they had received an RSV vaccine. Among older adults not yet vaccinated against RSV (n=324), 40.1% reported being unlikely or not knowing whether they would ask an HCP about the RSV vaccine and 61.7% reported being unlikely or not knowing whether they would receive the RSV vaccine during the 2023-2024 season. RSV vaccine and disease knowledge gaps, vaccine safety concerns, and lack of previous HCP discussions on RSV vaccination were commonly reported reasons why these older adults were unlikely to receive the RSV vaccine. Results from this study provide early insights into older adult patient experiences with RSV vaccination during the first season of RSV vaccine availability. Given the increased risk of severe RSV outcomes among older adults, additional research is needed to ensure that HCPs and patients are having SCDM discussions related to RSV vaccination, minimizing any potential barriers to accessing RSV vaccination.
