Factors affecting HPV vaccine use among recent family medicine residency graduates

Many adolescents seek care by family physicians for well visits and have the opportunity for HPV vaccination during these visits. Limited information is available regarding what affects physicians in offering the vaccine. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that affect family physician administration of the HPV vaccine.

We used a mail survey of recent graduates from family medicine residencies affiliated with the South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium.

The response rate was 51.3%. Almost 79% offer the HPV vaccine at least most of the time to their adolescent female patients in their practice. Approximately 83% of respondents reported supporting the use of the HPV vaccine in males, but less than 8% reported having actually offered the vaccine to males. Those physicians who are female (OR=8.95, 95% CI=1.56--51.3), practice full time in an office setting (OR=9.08, 95% CI=1.71--48.3), are involved in teaching (OR=8.86, 95% CI=1.75--44.9), and practice in a family medicine setting (OR=8.20, 95% CI=1.69-39.8) had greater odds of offering the vaccine. Those who currently practiced in the southeastern United States were less likely to offer the vaccine (OR=0.04, 95% CI=0.002--0.59).

Recent graduates of family medicine training programs frequently offer the HPV vaccine to adolescent females. Multiple practice factors affected the odds of offering the vaccine. Though most respondents agree with using the vaccine in males, most do not offer it to males.