Practices and opinions regarding HPV vaccination among French general practitioners: evaluation through two cross-sectional studies in 2007 and 2010

Abstract

Objectives: To use both quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate the evolution of practices and opinions regarding human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among French general practitioners.

Methods: A cross-sectional study (self-questionnaires) was performed in 2007 and repeated in 2010 among 271 general practitioners. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on 27 voluntary participants by a sociologist and analyzed according to content analysis.

Results: Acceptability of HPV vaccination had increased from 2007 to 2010 (79.9 vs. 87.1%, respectively), just as the practice of HPV vaccination among 14-year-old girls (19.0 vs. 49.1%, respectively). Though about 60% reported complications associated with HPV vaccination, irrespective of year, the types of difficulties have varied: difficulties related to "questions asked by patients" had decreased, though concerns about side effects had remained stable. During interviews, difficulties related to "the reason for medical consultation" and "the target age" were often associated with addressing the issue of sexuality, especially when the parents were present.

Conclusions: Although the high level of acceptability of HPV vaccination among general practitioners, which increased from 2007 to 2010, there remain difficulties in addressing this practice.