Journal of Advanced Practices in Nursing

Increasing HPV Vaccination Rates in a Rural Clinic Setting

Abstract

Sarah Bakri

Background and Objective: HPV-related cancers are a significant problem facing the United States, especially considering many of these cancers can be prevented with HPV vaccination. Despite CDC recommendations, HPV vaccination rates continue to remain very low, disproportionately impacting rural communities. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to improve provider recommendation rates to increase HPV vaccination series initiation or subsequent HPV vaccinations in adolescents between the ages of 11 and 17 at two rural healthcare clinics. Methods: 9 providers including 5 MDs, 1 DO, 2 PAs, and 1 NP at two rural healthcare clinics in Atchison, Kansas participated in the project. The project included a 6-week pre-intervention phase to assess provider recommendation rates followed by an educational session with providers and a 6-week intervention phase. The intervention phase consisted of provider recommendation at all visits to reduce the number of missed opportunities, educational handouts on HPV and the HPV vaccine for parents and patients, and a call-back reminder system. Results: Preliminary data reveals a 12.9% increase in provider recommendation rates. The call-back reminder system was responsible for 50 adolescents receiving a dose of the HPV vaccination, 41 of which have now completed the series. Additionally, 6 hepatitis A, 8 meningococcal, and 19 influenza vaccines were also administered to the adolescents returning due to the call-back reminder system. During the 3-month project timeframe, adolescents received a total of 110 HPV vaccinations which is a significant increase from the 42 HPV vaccinations given during the same timeframe the previous year.