Dr. Erin Hahn, PhD

HPV Vaccine Strategies

for Human Papillomavirus

In the United State, there are millions of US teens who are not vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV) putting them at risk of getting HPV-related cancers. Although there are clinical guidelines recommending the HPV vaccine and interventions encouraging parents to vaccinate their children to prevent HPV-related cancers, the vaccination rate for teens remains low according to a 2018 national survey. Survey data shows that HPV vaccine complete series coverage for teens aged 13-15 years was 50%, far below the 80% target of Healthy People 2020. Receiving a strong provider recommendation is the most powerful strategy for improving HPV vaccine rates. Yet, little is known about how to include provider recommendations and other important factors into an intervention to improve the HPV vaccination rates. Studies show there are provider, patient and system-level barriers in the initiation and completion of HPV vaccine series among 9-12 years old children. Barriers to the HPV vaccine also differ across demographic subgroups, communities, and clinics. Interventions that address only one component are not responsive to site barriers and as effective as one that addresses multiple components and site-specific barriers. This study uses a 3-arm cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) to compare three implementation strategies to improve provider recommendations on the HPV vaccine. Two of the implementation strategies (local-tailored and prescribed strategy) utilize a multilevel approach. The three implementation strategies of interest are (1) a "local-tailored" implementation strategy, co-designed with local care teams to address local barriers and contexts (2) A "prescribed" strategy, most commonly used by health systems, that involves pre-specified interventions addressing pre-selected vaccination barriers and (3) usual standard of care where there are no research-led activities. We will use surveys, interviews, and electronic health records to evaluate the three implementation strategies and their impact on improving HPV vaccination rates. The study surveys and interviews will include pediatric providers, nurses, administrators, staff members, and parents of HPV vaccine-eligible children (9-12 years old). Successful implementation will be defined as improvement in HPV vaccination rates (primary outcome), strengthening provider recommendation (secondary outcome), and the cost-effectiveness of the implementation strategy.