|Videos|September 29, 2018

Recommending the Flu Shot to Patients Vulnerable to Infection

Mindy Smith, BSPharm, RPh, provides tips for recommending the flu shot to patients who are more likely to get the flu.

Segment Description: Mindy Smith, BSPharm, RPh, VP of Pharmacy Practice Innovation, PrescribeWellness provides tips for recommending the flu shot to patients who are more likely to get the flu.

Interview transcript: (modified slightly for readability):

“I think related to high-risk patient population, it’s really important to communicate to that individual patient about how they’re at such a high risk related to being immunocompromised, which makes them more susceptible to getting any type of illness.

Anytime that you can protect yourself with, armor yourself with vaccinations to lower that risk, because you’re in that population that has that higher potential, it’s so important to have those conversations with every single one of those patients.

Because those are the patients who are the most vulnerable, you end up in the hospital, and/or can’t recover from, say, for example, pneumonia, and have a much more difficult time if they were to get that infection.”


Related to this article

NFID Survey Finds Respiratory Vaccine Gap Driven by Lack of Clarity, Not Hesitancy
The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) recently held its respiratory season kick-off, which included the release of its annual respiratory disease survey. This year, the survey revealed the gap between vaccine support and uptake. Robert Hopkins Jr, MD, medical director of NFID delves deeper into the findings of the survey and the vaccine uptake challenges associated with certain immunizations.
Measles Update: October 9, 2026
The latest CDC numbers show a 5.0% increase of measles cases from week-to-week. The US total reached 4080 confirmed cases, 78% above all of 2025.
FAQ: What You Need to Know About Measles in 2026
With US measles cases nearing 3,900 this year and Pennsylvania reporting its fifth measles-related death, here is a review of how the virus spreads, how it is prevented and managed, and what severe disease looks like.