Written by Hannah Harp
Spoon Feed
A bundled intervention (communication training, performance feedback, and EMR/staff prompt) was associated with a small improvement in HPV vaccination rates for adolescents in primary care clinics.
Be free from HPV
The HPV vaccine is safe and is effective for preventing various types of HPV-related cancer. However, HPV vaccine hesitancy remains high due to being relatively new and a sexually transmitted virus. The current vaccination series completion rate of 62% among adolescents falls short of the goal completion rate of 80%. This study evaluated whether a bundled, practice-based intervention could reduce missed opportunities for HPV vaccination in pediatric primary care. Using a pre-post design in 24 practices, the intervention combined clinician communication training, performance feedback, and clinician/EMR prompts. Results showed a 4.8 percentage point reduction (95%CI −7.2% to −2.4%) in missed opportunities for initial HPV doses at well-child visits and a 2.2 percentage point reduction, though borderline significance, (95%CI −4.4% to −0.0%) for subsequent doses. No significant reduction in missed opportunities was found in acute or chronic non-well visits. The study observation and intervention periods spanned pre-to-post COVID pandemic, making increased vaccine hesitancy during this time a potential confounder.
How will this change my practice?
In my practice, we spent a few months really drilling down on communication about the HPV vaccine, including having the MA say, “[your child] is due for one vaccine today” instead of asking if they would like to get the shot. It really sets expectations and lets me just fill in the knowledge gaps.
Source
A Bundled, Practice-Based Intervention to Increase HPV Vaccination. Pediatrics. 2025 Feb 1;155(2):e2024068145. doi: 10.1542/peds.2024-068145. PMID: 39756464
