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Herpes Zoster Vaccination: New Guidance, New Opportunities to Improve Vaccination Rates

This activity is jointly provided by Postgraduate Healthcare Education, LLC, and Medical Logix, LLC.

This activity is supported by an educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Recent recommendations for vaccination against herpes zoster (HZ) include an indication for patients who have immunocompromising conditions or are treated with immunosuppressive therapies, a group who, despite being at higher overall risk for HZ and its complications, have been previously excluded from the available vaccine indications. Not all clinicians may be aware of this important consideration, and this educational activity offers an opportunity to update clinician knowledge on the topic. Reducing disease burden is the ultimate goal of educating clinicians about updated indications and administration information. The review of risk factors and current disease burden is key to clinician identification of appropriate recipients of the vaccine. HZ vaccination rates have been low since the approval of the first HZ vaccine, but they are most likely further reduced due to the widespread interruption in preventive healthcare due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Developing strategies and protocols for improved vaccination is an evidence-based way that clinicians can act to improve disease burden.

FACULTY

Paul Auwaerter, MBA, MD
Sherrilyn and Ken Fisher Professor of Medicine
Clinical Director
Division of Infectious Diseases
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, MD

Aruna Subramanian, MD
Clinical Professor of Medicine
Chief, Immunocompromised Host Infectious Diseases
Stanford University School of Medicine
Palo Alto, CA

Michael Hogue, MD
Dean and Professor
School of Pharmacy and Professor of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, CA

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

Paul Auwaerter, MD, MBA, FIDSA discloses the following: Consulting Fee: Humanigen (DSMB), Shionogi; Grant or research support: Pfizer, Inc.; Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds: Johnson and Johnson.
Aruna Subramanian, MD discloses the following: Advisor: Gilead
Michael Hogue, MD discloses the following: Advisor: Merck and Company, Inc.

John Gentile, Megan Gentile and Alex Tien of Medical Logix, LLC hereby state they do not have any financial relationships or relationships to products or devices with any commercial interest related to the content of this activity of any amount during the past 12 months.

Susanne Batesko, RN, BSN and Robin Carrino, as well as the planners, managers, and other individuals, not previously disclosed, who are in a position to control the content of Postgraduate Healthcare Education (PHE) continuing education activities hereby state that they have no relevant conflicts of interest and no financial relationships or relationships to products or devices during the past 12 months to disclose in relation to this activity. PHE is committed to providing participants with a quality learning experience and to improve clinical outcomes without promoting the financial interests of a proprietary business.

ACCREDITATION STATEMENTS

PHARMACY
Postgraduate Healthcare Education, LLC is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.

UAN: 0430-9999-23-047-H06-P
Credits: 1.0 hour (0.10 ceu)

Type of Activity: Application
Media: Internet

Fee Information: There is no fee for this educational activity.
Estimated time to complete activity: 60 minutes

Published

May 2, 2023

Expires

May 2, 2024

TARGET AUDIENCE

This activity is intended to meet the educational needs of healthcare professionals involved in the care of patients requiring herpes zoster vaccination.

HOW TO OBTAIN CREDIT

Participants must 1) read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures; 2) study the educational activity; and 3) complete the posttest and evaluation form directly after the activity within a maximum of 60 days of participating in the activity. To answer the questions, click on your selected choice for each answer then proceed to the next question. Once completed, click on the Grade Exam button at the bottom of the page. Your posttest will automatically be graded. If you successfully complete the posttest (score of 70% or higher), your statement of participation will be made available immediately. Click on the View Statement of Participation link and print the statement for your records. If you receive a score lower than 70%, you will receive a message notifying you that you did not pass the posttest. You will have 2 opportunities to pass the posttest. To receive Credit, you must provide your date of birth and NABP number. All Credit information will be uploaded into CPE monitor within 30 days.

Goal

The goal of this activity is for learners to recognize the significant burden of herpes zoster infection, the rational for vaccination in recommended groups of patients and the importance of risk mitigation through appropriate vaccination; routinely apply the current ACIP recommendations to identify the appropriate patients for herpes zoster vaccination; and for healthcare providers to play a supportive role in identifying appropriate patients for herpes zoster vaccination and will employ effective strategies to improve both vaccine uptake and series completion.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of the educational activity, participants should be able to:

• Describe the disease burden of herpes zoster infection and impact on patient quality of life.
• Discuss the rationale for herpes zoster vaccination in the immunocompromised/immunosuppressed patient and in those of advanced age.
• Apply the new ACIP recommendations to identify patients who are immunocompromised/immunosuppressed or advanced in age for appropriate herpes zoster vaccination.
• Design strategies and protocols to improve uptake of herpes zoster vaccination and series completion in all eligible patients.

REQUIRED COMPUTER HARDWARE/SOFTWARE

Please ensure the computer system you plan to use meets the following minimum requirements:

• Operating System: Windows 98 or higher & Macintosh 2.2 or higher
• Internet Browser (Mac & Windows): Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher, Google Chrome, Safari 5.0.6 or higher, Firefox 3.0.3 or higher, & Opera 5 or higher
• Broadband Internet connection: Cable, High-speed DSL & any other medium that is internet accessible
• Peripherals: Computer speakers or headphones
• Monitor Screen Resolution: 320 x 480 or higher
• Media Viewing Requirements: Adobe Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, Flash Player & HTML5

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use and Disclaimer

The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of Postgraduate Healthcare Education, LLC, Medical Logix, LLC, or GlaxoSmithKline. Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patients' conditions, and possible contraindications on dangers in use, (review of any applicable manufacturer's product information) and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

The author, sponsor, and publisher of this continuing education activity have made all reasonable efforts to ensure that all information contained herein is accurate in accordance with the latest available scientific knowledge at the time of acceptance for publication. However, because information regarding drugs (their administration, dosages, contraindications, adverse reactions, interactions, special warnings, precautions, etc.) is subject to constant change, the reader is advised to check the manufacturer's package insert for information concerning recommended dosages and potential problems and cautions prior to dispensing or administering the drug. Special precautions should be taken when a drug is new, or highly toxic, or is unfamiliar to the dispenser or administrant. This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Neither the publisher nor sponsor promotes the use of any agent outside of approved labeling. Statements made in this activity have not been evaluated by the FDA.