Adolescent self-consent for vaccinations: protocol for a mixed methods systematic review.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Immunization
• Health Policy

Background:

• Routine adolescent vaccination programs aim to prevent infectious diseases.
• Parental consent requirements can hinder adolescent vaccination uptake, despite legal frameworks supporting adolescent autonomy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review evidence on whether adolescent self-consent increases vaccination uptake.
• To identify barriers and facilitators to implementing adolescent self-consent procedures for vaccinations.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive systematic search of electronic databases for qualitative and quantitative studies.
• Independent review of studies by at least two authors, with data extraction and quality assessment.
• Narrative synthesis of quantitative studies and meta-analysis where feasible; thematic synthesis of qualitative findings.

Main Results:

• The review will assess the hypothesis that self-consent procedures enhance adolescent vaccination coverage.
• Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of adolescent self-consent will be identified.

Conclusions:

• Findings will inform policy makers and practitioners on consent procedures for adolescent vaccination programs.
• Evidence-based recommendations will be developed to improve vaccination uptake through informed consent processes.