HPV vaccination knowledge, attitude, and practices among physicians in a teaching hospital, Karachi

Cervical cancer is a global public health problem. It is the fourth most common cancer in women globally. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has reduced the incidence of HPV-related illness in the past decade. However, for the vaccination programs to be successful, recommendation by the primary care physicians is essential.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, practices, and barriers toward HPV vaccination among physicians practicing at a teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.

This is a cross-sectional study carried out with a sample size of 165 among doctors practicing in Family medicine, Internal medicine, Pediatrics, and Gynecology outpatient clinics at a teaching hospital.

Physicians were approached in outpatient clinics, and a pilot-tested coded questionnaire was filled by them. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed using SPSS version 19.

Results show 22.4% males and 77.6% females participated in the study. 20% were internists, 35.2% were family physicians, 18.8% were pediatricians, and 26.1% were gynecologists. In terms of knowledge, 67.2% physicians showed good knowledge. In terms of attitude, it was found that 90.9% of physicians showed positive attitude toward prescribing HPV vaccine. However, only 37.5% physicians prescribed HPV vaccine to patients. Cost of vaccine, time constraints, and lack of knowledge among female patients were recognized as the most common barriers against prescribing the vaccine.

From these results, we can infer that overall practices of our physicians are lacking, with respect to prescribing the HPV vaccine. Positive attitude should be taken as an advantage, and overcoming the barriers should be considered as the next step for improvement of our practice.