Increasing Rates of Human Pipillomavirus Vaccination in Family Practice: A Quality Improvement Project

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated recommendations for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in 2016. National and statewide statistics indicate that HPV vaccination in the adolescent population is well below the administration rates for other vaccines. Because cancers associated with HPV infection are vaccine preventable, low administration rates are a cause for concern.

Through a two-year project funded by the South Dakota Department of Health, Sanford Health implemented a quality improvement project to address the low rate of HPV vaccine administration in their clinics in South Dakota. Evidence-based interventions included: implementation of a client reminder and recall system, vaccine education for providers and staff, a provider assessment and feedback system, and re-education on protocol (standing) orders.

Implementation of this quality improvement project resulted in the following: 104,571 client reminders distributed, re-education on standing orders for vaccine administration, as well as feedback on missed opportunities for vaccination, and increased awareness for all providers and staff. In patients ages 11-26, HPV vaccine series completion rates increased by 13 percent in the two-year period. Zero-dose HPV vaccination dropped 22 percent in the seven pilot clinics over the two-year grant period, and by 10 percent overall when the additional clinics (n=32) were added in the second year.

Implementation of the above practices provided a significant increase in awareness of the need to assess and administer HPV vaccine. The methods used are easily adaptable to any clinic system. These practices can increase HPV vaccination rates and ultimately decrease the number of HPV associated cancers.