One Shot Before Winter: An Infographic and Essay on RSV Vaccination for Older Adults
Student Name
RN to BSN Program, Aspen University
N495: Health Assessment
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
One Shot Before Winter: An Infographic and Essay on RSV Vaccination for Older Adults
The Infographic
HEADLINE: One Shot Before Winter: RSV Vaccine for Adults 60 and Older
PANEL 1, WHAT IS RSV? A common respiratory virus. For most children and young adults it feels like a cold. For older adults it can cause pneumonia and hospital stays, especially in fall and winter.
PANEL 2, WHO SHOULD GET IT? Everyone 75 and older. Adults 60 to 74 with conditions such as heart or lung disease, diabetes with complications, kidney disease, a weakened immune system, or who live in a nursing home.
PANEL 3, HOW WELL DOES IT WORK? In large studies, the vaccine prevented most RSV lung infections in the first season, including most severe ones.
PANEL 4, HOW MANY DOSES? Just one. You do not need a booster every year, unlike the flu shot.
PANEL 5, WHEN? Late summer or early fall is best, before RSV season begins.
PANEL 6, SIDE EFFECTS? A sore arm, tiredness, or headache for a day or two are common. Serious reactions are rare. Talk with your nurse or pharmacist about your health history.
FOOTER: Ask at your next visit or your pharmacy. Medicare Part D covers it. Sources: CDC; Britton et al., 2024; Papi et al., 2023.
Why RSV Vaccination Matters for Older Adults
Respiratory syncytial virus is best known as a cause of bronchiolitis in infants, but it is also a major cause of respiratory illness and hospitalization in older adults during fall and winter (Britton et al., 2024). Age-related decline in immunity and the chronic heart and lung conditions common in later life make older adults more likely to develop pneumonia and to be hospitalized when infected. Until 2023 there was no vaccine, and treatment was only supportive. The approval of RSV vaccines for older adults therefore represents a new preventive tool, and nurses are often the first to explain it to patients.
What the Evidence Shows
The vaccines' approval rested on large randomized trials. In one trial of nearly 25,000 adults aged 60 and older, a single dose of an adjuvanted RSV prefusion F protein vaccine was 82.6 percent effective against RSV-related lower respiratory tract disease over a median of 6.7 months, and 94.1 percent effective against severe disease (Papi et al., 2023). A second trial of more than 34,000 older adults found that a different prefusion F vaccine was 66.7 percent effective against RSV lower respiratory tract illness with at least two signs or symptoms and 85.7 percent effective against illness with at least three (Walsh et al., 2023). Both trials measured protection during the first season, and the benefit of revaccination has not been established, which is why the current recommendation is a single lifetime dose for now.
In June 2024, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices updated its recommendation: a single dose of any approved RSV vaccine is recommended for all adults aged 75 and older and for adults aged 60 to 74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV disease, and adults who have already been vaccinated should not receive another dose (Britton et al., 2024). The update replaced an earlier recommendation based on shared clinical decision-making, which had made it harder for older adults to know whether they should be vaccinated. Postlicensure monitoring has also looked for rare adverse events, including a possible small increase in Guillain-Barre syndrome after vaccination, which the committee weighed against the vaccines' benefits. Because recommendations can change as monitoring continues, nurses should check the current CDC schedule before advising patients.
Designing the Infographic
The infographic was designed for older adults and their families. Its language avoids medical terms where possible and explains them where necessary, since limited health literacy is common and increases with age. Each panel answers a single question patients ask, and the answers are short enough to read in a waiting room. Large type, high contrast, and a simple layout account for age-related changes in vision. The key action, ask at your next visit or your pharmacy, appears at the bottom, together with the reassurance that Medicare Part D covers the vaccine, since cost is a common reason for delay. The contrast with the annual flu shot in the doses panel addresses a frequent source of confusion.
The Nurse's Role
Nurses are trusted sources of vaccine information and are present at many points where older adults can be vaccinated: primary care, pharmacies, hospital discharge, home health, and long-term care. A nurse can review eligibility, identify patients aged 60 to 74 with qualifying conditions who might not realize they are eligible, answer questions about side effects, and recommend vaccination clearly. A strong, direct recommendation from a clinician is one of the most consistent predictors of vaccine uptake. Nurses can also advocate for standing orders that allow them to vaccinate eligible patients without a separate provider order, which removes a common barrier in busy clinics.
Conversations with older adults about this vaccine tend to raise the same few questions, and a nurse who anticipates them saves time and builds trust. Patients ask whether they need it every year, and the answer under current guidance is no. They ask whether they can get it on the same day as a flu or COVID-19 shot; national guidance allows RSV vaccine to be given at the same visit as other adult vaccines, although some people prefer to space them to limit sore arms. They ask what it costs, and for most Medicare beneficiaries the answer is little or nothing through Part D. Answering those three questions plainly, then recommending the vaccine, is often all it takes.
Conclusion
RSV vaccination offers older adults protection against a common virus that can cause serious illness, and the evidence from large trials shows substantial protection in the first season after a single dose. Current recommendations target the adults at greatest risk: everyone 75 and older and those aged 60 to 74 with qualifying conditions. A clear, readable infographic and a confident recommendation from a nurse can help more of those adults get vaccinated before the next RSV season.
References
Britton, A., Roper, L. E., Kotton, C. N., Hutton, D. W., Fleming-Dutra, K. E., Godfrey, M., Ortega-Sanchez, I. R., Broder, K. R., Talbot, H. K., Long, S. S., Havers, F. P., & Melgar, M. (2024). Use of respiratory syncytial virus vaccines in adults aged 60 years and older: Updated recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, United States, 2024. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 73(32), 696-702. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7332e1
Papi, A., Ison, M. G., Langley, J. M., Lee, D.-G., Leroux-Roels, I., Martinon-Torres, F., Schwarz, T. F., van Zyl-Smit, R. N., Campora, L., Dezutter, N., de Schrevel, N., Fissette, L., David, M.-P., Van der Wielen, M., Kostanyan, L., & Hulstrøm, V. (2023). Respiratory syncytial virus prefusion F protein vaccine in older adults. New England Journal of Medicine, 388(7), 595-608. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2209604
Walsh, E. E., Pérez Marc, G., Zareba, A. M., Falsey, A. R., Jiang, Q., Patton, M., Polack, F. P., Llapur, C., Doreski, P. A., Ilangovan, K., Rämet, M., Fukushima, Y., Hussen, N., Bont, L. J., Cardona, J., DeHaan, E., Castillo Villa, G., Ingilizova, M., Eiras, D., ... Gurtman, A. (2023). Efficacy and safety of a bivalent RSV prefusion F vaccine in older adults. New England Journal of Medicine, 388(16), 1465-1477. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2213836
How this N 495 Module 2 example is structured
N495 Module 2 typically asks for a one-page infographic on a preventive screening or vaccine for older adults together with an APA essay of at least 750 words supported by scholarly sources. Aspen revises courses, so check your classroom for format and length. This example presents the infographic text panel by panel, then uses the essay to support every infographic claim with trial evidence and the current national recommendation, explain the design choices for an older audience and describe the nurse's role.
N495 Module 2 questions, answered
What does N495 Module 2 usually ask for?
Commonly a one-page infographic on a preventive screening or vaccine for older adults and an accompanying APA essay of at least 750 words with two or more scholarly sources. The module's discussion often addresses vaccination education and nurse advocacy for older adults.
Which topic works well for the infographic?
One with a clear recommendation and evidence, such as RSV, pneumococcal, shingles or influenza vaccination, or screenings such as colorectal cancer or bone density. Choose a topic where you can state exactly who is eligible and support each claim with a current source.
How do I make an infographic readable for older adults?
Short answers to the questions patients actually ask, plain language, large type with high contrast, one clear action and practical information such as cost coverage. The sample's essay explains each of these design choices.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.