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Updated: Aug 6, 2025
Experimental Human Pneumococcal Carriage
Published on: February 15, 2013
Pneumococcal Vaccination Practices in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Receiving Anti-CD20 Monoclonal Antibodies
Kristin Reindel1, Elizabeth Rightmier1, Julie S Dean2
1Department of Pharmacy (KR, ER, JW), University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
Background:
It is recommended that patients taking immunosuppressive anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) receive pneumococcal vaccinations before their first dose to ensure optimal immune response. An initial medication use evaluation reviewed adherence to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) pneumococcal immunization recommendations at the study site, and room for improvement was identified. The nursing team implemented workflow changes to increase nursing involvement in vaccination coordination, education, tracking, and administration. We sought to evaluate the impact of a nursing intervention on optimal pneumococcal vaccination administration rates in patients receiving anti-CD20 mAbs at a multiple sclerosis (MS) center.
Methods:
We performed a single-center, retrospective, pre/post medication use evaluation. Inclusion criteria were older than 18 years with a diagnosis of MS and received their first anti-CD20 mAb infusion at the study site during the preintervention or postintervention time frame.
Results:
We included 406 and 73 patients in the preintervention and postintervention studies, respectively. The nursing intervention significantly improved the percentage of patients receiving optimal pneumococcal vaccination before their first infusion from 58% to 84% and significantly reduced the number with unknown vaccination status from 17% to 3%. Patients who received optimal follow-up vaccination with 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine after optimal 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine administration improved from 9% to 56%.
Conclusions:
A nursing team intervention improved adherence to CDC pneumococcal immunization recommendations for patients receiving anti-CD20 mAb therapy. This project highlights the value of interdisciplinary team collaboration between health system specialty pharmacies and specialized nursing teams in the care of patients with MS.
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