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

BACKGROUND: While some review studies have assessed the role of pharmacists in vaccination services, none have comprehensively assessed their impact specifically on improving vaccination uptake among older adults across all major recommended vaccines. These include COVID-19, herpes zoster, influenza, pneumococcal disease, and respiratory syncytial virus. This systematic review aimed to generate evidence on the effectiveness of pharmacist-led interventions in promoting the uptake of these vaccines among individuals aged 60 years and older.

METHOD: Relevant publications up to June 2024 were comprehensively searched across six databases: Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The pooled effect size was estimated using a random-effects model with a 95 % confidence interval (CI). Subgroup analyses were used to evaluated differences in effect sizes according to pharmacist roles.

RESULT: A total of 10,998 studies were initially identified, of which 13 met the inclusion criteria. In eight pre-post studies, pharmacist involvement in immunisation services significantly increased vaccine uptake among older adults, yielding a pooled relative risk (RR) of 3.29 (95 % CI: 2.01-5.39). Similarly, in five randomised studies, pharmacist-led interventions were significantly associated with increased vaccine uptake, with a pooled RR of 3.04 (95 % CI: 1.46-6.34).

CONCLUSION: This review demonstrates the substantial impact of pharmacist-led interventions on vaccination uptake among older people. The findings suggest that the greatest improvements occur when pharmacists serve as educators, facilitators, immunisers, and advocators. Healthcare policymakers and organisations should prioritise and implement comprehensive pharmacist-led strategies to enhance vaccine uptake in this population.