TOPLINE: 

In a US study of patients visiting the emergency department (ED), 87% of patients were aware of the shingles vaccine but only 46% had received it, with many unvaccinated patients expressing interest in on-site vaccination.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a multicenter survey of 1617 adult participants aged 50 years or older (mean age, 65 years; 51% women) who were not critically ill, using time-block sampling during weekday hours (09:00-17:00) across 10 EDs in the US from April 2024 to December 2024.
• Overall, 19% were Spanish speakers.
• The survey assessed demographics, awareness of the shingles vaccine, current vaccination status, willingness to receive vaccination in the ED, and reasons for vaccine hesitancy.

TAKEAWAY:

• Overall, 87.1% of individuals reported being aware of the shingles vaccine, whereas 45.6% had received the vaccination.
• Women (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.86; 95% CI, 1.36-2.96) and individuals with health insurance (aOR, 3.19; 95% CI, 2.12-4.82) had higher vaccine awareness, whereas Spanish speakers (aOR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.19-0.37) and other non-English speakers (aOR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.12-0.44) had lower awareness.
• The odds of receiving the vaccine rose with increasing age (aOR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.02-1.04 per year) and among individuals with health insurance coverage (aOR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.51-3.42) but were lower among Black participants (aOR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.39-0.62).
• Among unvaccinated participants, 40% expressed interest in receiving the shingles vaccine during their current ED visit.

IN PRACTICE:

"Overall, this study identified a substantial number of eligible people who are not currently vaccinated against shingles and suggests many ED patients may accept shingles vaccination if they were offered in the ED," the authors wrote. "As such, the ED may serve as a potential site for identification of and messaging to unvaccinated persons, as well as delivery of vaccines to patients who lack primary care," they added.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Michael Gottlieb, MD, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago. It was published online on October 1, 2025, in Annals of Emergency Medicine.

LIMITATIONS:

The study was limited by the use of convenience sampling, reliance on self-reported vaccination status, and potential social desirability bias.

DISCLOSURES:

One author reported receiving grant support through the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, GE Healthcare, the Charles J. and Margaret Roberts Foundation, and the Chicago Chronic Condition Equity Network. Other authors reported receiving grants from federal agencies, foundations, or industry sponsors. Details are provided in the original article.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.