What is the context? Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of illness among older adults (60 years and older) and adults with certain chronic conditions in the United States (US), with some adults experiencing severe RSV outcomes such as hospitalization or death.Despite this considerable burden, the awareness of RSV among these at-risk populations has never been studied until now.What is new? We assessed RSV-related knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions among US adults at increased risk of severe RSV infection (adults aged 60–89 years and adults aged 18–59 years with ≥1 chronic cardiovascular condition, chronic pulmonary condition, or diabetes).Among older and at-risk adults, 43.3% had ever heard of RSV, with a lower awareness in the older adult subgroup.Among adults at increased risk of severe RSV who are aware of RSV, less than 35% consider themselves to be knowledgeable about RSV and 16–19% were unable to assess their perceived risk of contracting RSV or potential severity of RSV should they contract it.Knowledge gaps specific to RSV include the viral nature of RSV, its seasonality, symptoms, extent to which it causes respiratory infections in specific patient populations, the difficulty distinguishing RSV from other respiratory infections based on symptoms alone, and the limited testing for RSV in routine clinical practice.What is the impact? Two RSV vaccines were recently approved in the US and are recommended for the prevention of RSV among adults aged 60 years and older with shared clinical decision making.Results from this study reveal limited awareness of RSV among adults in the US at increased risk of severe RSV and knowledge gaps among those aware of RSV.These findings can be used by healthcare providers initiating shared clinical decision-making conversations with their patients aged 60 years and older who are eligible for RSV vaccination, as well as to tailor RSV disease awareness educational interventions to healthcare providers and patients.
背景是什么?呼吸道合胞病毒(RSV)是美国老年人(60岁及以上)和患有某些慢性疾病的成年人的常见疾病原因,一些成年人经历严重的RSV结局,如住院或死亡。尽管有这么大的负担,这些高危人群对RSV的认知到目前为止从未被研究过.什么是新的?我们评估了RSV相关知识,态度,以及美国成年人对严重RSV感染风险增加的看法(60-89岁的成年人和18-59岁的患有≥1种慢性心血管疾病的成年人,慢性肺部疾病,或糖尿病)。在老年人和有风险的成年人中,43.3%的人听说过RSV,在老年人亚组中意识较低。在意识到RSV的严重RSV风险增加的成年人中,不到35%的人认为自己了解RSV,16-19%的人无法评估他们感知的RSV感染风险或RSV的潜在严重程度。特定于RSV的知识差距包括RSV的病毒性质,它的季节性,症状,它在特定患者人群中引起呼吸道感染的程度,仅根据症状很难区分RSV和其他呼吸道感染,以及在常规临床实践中对RSV的有限测试。有什么影响?美国最近批准了两种RSV疫苗,建议在60岁及以上的成年人中预防RSV,共同制定临床决策。这项研究的结果表明,美国成年人对RSV的认识有限,患有严重RSV的风险增加,并且意识到RSV的人之间存在知识差距。这些发现可供医疗保健提供者与符合RSV疫苗接种资格的60岁及以上的患者进行共享的临床决策对话。以及为医疗保健提供者和患者量身定制RSV疾病意识教育干预措施。