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. 2021 Dec 2;17(12):5402-5406.
doi: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1993041. Epub 2021 Oct 29.

Partnering with healthcare systems to improve HPV vaccination:The perspective of immunization program managers

Brigid K Grabert  1   2 , Jennifer Heisler-MacKinnon  2 , Rachel Kurtzman  1   2 , Adam Bjork  3   4 , Katelyn Wells  5 , Noel T Brewer  1   2 , Melissa B Gilkey  1   2
Affiliations

Partnering with healthcare systems to improve HPV vaccination:The perspective of immunization program managers

Brigid K Grabert et al. Hum Vaccin Immunother. .

Abstract

The US's 64 CDC-funded immunization programs are at the forefront of efforts to improve the quality of adolescent vaccination services. We sought to understand immunization program managers' perspectives on partnering with healthcare systems to improve HPV vaccine uptake. Managers of 44 state and local immunization programs completed our online survey in 2019. Immunization managers strongly endorsed the importance of partnering with systems to improve HPV vaccine uptake (mean = 3.8/4.0), and most wanted to do so in the next year (mean = 3.5). Immunization managers reported that common barriers included difficulty contacting systems' leadership (57%), differing organizational cultures (52%), and time (52%). Many perceived systems as not prioritizing HPV vaccination (77%). Immunization managers expressed strong interest in participating in a training on partnering with systems (mean = 3.5). Overall, immunization managers are highly interested in partnering with systems to improve HPV vaccine uptake. Training and other support are needed to expand programs' capacity for such partnerships.

Keywords: human papillomavirus vaccine; immunization manager; quality improvement.

Plain language summary

PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARYImmunization managers are interested in partnering with healthcare systems to improve HPV vaccination. However, support may be needed to facilitate partnerships between immunization programs and healthcare systems.

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Conflict of interest statement

N.T. Brewer has served as a paid advisor for Merck, CDC and WHO. A. Bjork is currently employed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which provided funding for this research to the UNC Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through Cooperative Agreement U01IP001073-02. The remaining authors disclosed no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Perceived barriers immunization programs face to partnering with healthcare systems to improve HPV vaccine uptake (n = 44).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Perceived barriers healthcare systems face to partnering with immunization programs to improve HPV vaccine uptake (n = 44).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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