HPV Vaccine Delivery Practices: What Works and What Might Not :

While the benefits of vaccinating both males and females against the human papilloma virus (HPV) in early adolescence are well known to practicing pediatricians and family physicians, administering this vaccine to all eligible patients is easier said than done. That is why Kempe et al. (10.1542/peds.2019-1475) surveyed pediatricians and family physicians across the United States in regard to their HPV vaccine delivery practices, experiences and their attitudes toward administering this vaccine. This is a particularly timely issue now that only two doses instead of three are needed. The study, being released this week, involved 302 pediatricians and 228 family physicians with a 65% response rate.  There is a lot of information that can help us understand how to better ensure patient how to improve vaccination rates. For example, the survey data suggests using a presumptive style for obtaining consent and having standing orders with electronic alert reminders are all helpful.  There is also a lot of information regarding who is refusing HPV vaccination and what physician behaviors and attitudes might have contributed to that refusal. The good news is that the vast majority of both pediatricians and family physicians note more teens are agreeing to the vaccine now that only two versus three doses are recommended.  There is a lot of useful information we can apply to our own practices in this study, so inject some time into reading it and determine whether your own rates of vaccination might be improved as a result of the findings being reported in this topical study.