Why Pharmacists Are Key to Combating Vaccine Hesitancy and Misinformation

Originally published by our sister publication Specialty Pharmacy Continuum

By Gina Shaw
As federal health officials such as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sow doubt about vaccine safety, and leading clinical groups establish their own vaccine recommendations that significantly diverge from the CDC’s guidance for the first time in decades, Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy CEO Susan Cantrell, RPh, MHL, CAE, urged pharmacists to take a proactive approach in educating their patients.

Pharmacists are uniquely positioned to counter vaccine hesitancy and misinformation and inform patients about the importance and safety of vaccines, Ms. Cantrell said. “Trust is very important, and over the years, patients have increasingly relied on their pharmacists for information about their medications,” she said in an exclusive interview with Specialty Pharmacy Continuum. “The personal touch that pharmacists have is key to fostering a rapport with the patients they serve.”

Pharmacists are among the most accessible health professionals, often serving as the most frequent, and most geographically reachable, point of care. A 2020 study among Medicare beneficiaries found that patients had a median of 13 visits per year to community pharmacies, compared with seven encounters with primary care physicians (JAMA Netw Open 2020;3[7]:e209132).

“Around 77% of community pharmacies serve communities with populations of 50,000 people or less, and those areas are often where there is a lack of easy access to primary care,” Ms. Cantrell noted. “So that accessibility positions pharmacists to be their patients’ immediate point of healthcare access on issues like vaccinations.”

That powerful combination of trust and access gives pharmacists leverage to tell the factual story around vaccines and debunk some of the prevalent myths, such as false claims that vaccines cause autism have not been tested against placebos in clinical trials. “When patients say, ‘I heard this, is it true?’ the pharmacist can lean into the science behind vaccinations, our decades of experience with them and the enormous amount of data we have that supports their safety and effectiveness,” Ms. Cantrell said.

This can be a steep hill to climb in today’s environment, she acknowledged. “You can’t turn on the TV or scroll through social media without seeing misinformation around vaccinations,” she said. “I think keeping the message simple and speaking in terms that patients can understand is important. Using signage and infographics that sum up data in ways that are easy to digest and understand can be helpful.”

Patient Education Resources
Ms. Cantrell recommended taking advantage of patient education resources from the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), which certifies pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to administer vaccines. “They have materials that are geared toward patients and are easily understandable,” and are available at the APhA’s Vaccine Confident website (vaccineconfident.pharmacist.com). 

Cutting Through the Confusion

Mary Hayney, PharmD, MPH, a professor of pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy, agreed that pharmacists can play an important role in educating patients who may be confused by all of the competing voices on vaccinations. “I think the bottom line is to recognize that your patients have questions, and to listen to those questions, acknowledge that they are reasonable and valid, and then use your expertise and knowledge to answer and address their concerns and hesitancies,” Dr. Hayney said.

Ms. Cantrell noted that many pharmacies are taking an increasingly proactive approach to encouraging patients to get appropriately vaccinated. “I recently had an automated message from my pharmacy reminding me of a vaccine that I was due for, and I also started receiving text messages about the influenza vaccine in August,” she said. “Often, when you go into the pharmacy to pick up a prescription, the pharmacist will check your vaccination status and ask if you’d like to get any vaccine you may be missing while you are there.”

The Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act, a bipartisan bill introduced in Congress in May 2025, could further elevate the visibility of pharmacists as front-line healthcare providers, as well as the level of trust that patients have in their pharmacists, Ms. Cantrell said. The legislation seeks to ensure continued access to pharmacist-administered testing and treatment for conditions such as COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, as well as preparedness for future public health threats. 

If enacted, it would codify pharmacists’ ability to continue providing essential services that have proven crucial in public health responses, particularly for those who face geographic or economic barriers to care.

“That would be a huge step in the right direction, providing pharmacists with the tools and the ability to really step up to the plate and help millions of Americans,” Ms. Cantrell said. “Vaccines are a vital component of our public health infrastructure, and arguably the most effective tool that we have to combat communicable diseases. Making sure that pharmacists are as accessible as possible can play a critical role in ensuring that patients and the public understand the science behind vaccines so that they can make the right decisions.”

Dr. Hayney agreed: “I would like to encourage pharmacists to continue their immunization efforts, even in this climate of increased misinformation and confusion. Do your best to share credible, reliable, evidence-based information; and lead the charge to get people vaccinated.”

The sources reported no relevant financial disclosures.