Paediatricians' attitudes and practices towards HPV vaccination

Area of Science:

• Pediatric medicine
• Vaccinology
• Public health

Background:

• The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Gardasil, was approved in the US in June 2006.
• Understanding pediatrician vaccine recommendations is crucial for public health initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess pediatrician recommendations for the HPV vaccine.
• To identify obstacles encountered by pediatricians in recommending the vaccine.
• To determine characteristics associated with pediatricians not recommending the HPV vaccine to all eligible patients.

Main Methods:

• A web-based survey was distributed to 450 general pediatricians and 400 specialists (infectious diseases and adolescent medicine) from the American Academy of Pediatrics directory.
• 373 out of 752 eligible pediatricians responded, yielding a 50% response rate.

Main Results:

• 88% of responding pediatricians would recommend the HPV vaccine to all eligible patients.
• Primary obstacles cited were vaccine cost and safety concerns.
• Physicians less likely to recommend the vaccine to all patients were more likely to be generalists, conservative, religious, slower adopters of new vaccines, and hesitant to vaccinate family members.

Conclusions:

• Pediatricians demonstrate high support for the HPV vaccine.
• Specific physician characteristics may predict reluctance in HPV vaccine immunization.