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. 2022 Apr 20:27:101801.
doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101801. eCollection 2022 Jun.

Association between patient characteristics and HPV vaccination recommendation for postpartum patients: A national survey of Obstetrician/Gynecologists

Paige W Lake  1 , Katharine J Head  2 , Shannon M Christy  1   3 , Andrea L DeMaria  4 , Erika L Thompson  5 , Susan T Vadaparampil  1   3 , Gregory D Zimet  6   7 , Monica L Kasting  4   7
Affiliations

Association between patient characteristics and HPV vaccination recommendation for postpartum patients: A national survey of Obstetrician/Gynecologists

Paige W Lake et al. Prev Med Rep. .

Abstract

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates in the U.S. are relatively low. Provider recommendation rates for HPV vaccination often vary by patient age and relationship status. Obstetrician/gynecologists (OB/GYNs) represent a key provider group that can recommend the HPV vaccine. This study examined differences in OB/GYN recommendation of HPV vaccination for inpatient postpartum patients by age, parity, and marital status. Data were collected from OB/GYNs nationally via a cross-sectional survey. Participants were randomized to two vignette groups (23-year-old patient or 33-year-old patient). Within each group, participants received 4 vignettes that were identical except for patient marital status (married/not in a committed relationship) and number of children (first/third child), and were asked to indicate HPV vaccination recommendation likelihood on a scale of 0 (definitely would not) to 100 (definitely would). A 2 × 2 × 2 general linear model with repeated measures was used to examine main and interaction effects of patient age, relationship status, and parity. 207 OB/GYNs were included in the final analyses. Recommendation was high for 23-year-old patients (range: 64.5-84.6 out of 100). When marital status and parity were held constant, recommendation likelihood was higher for the younger vs. older patient and was also higher for patients not in a committed relationship, compared to married patients (all p-values < 0.001). Differences in recommendation exist when considering age and relationship status, which provides insight into OB/GYN clinical decision-making. Findings highlight the need to address barriers to HPV vaccination recommendation, including awareness of risk factors to consider when recommending the vaccine.

Keywords: Clinical decision-making; HPV vaccine; Human papillomavirus vaccine; Obstetrics/gynecology; Postpartum period; Surveys.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Gregory D. Zimet has served as a paid consultant to Sanofi Pasteur for work on the Adolescent Immunization Initiative and Merck for work on HPV vaccination. Outside of the present work Gregory Zimet has served as an external advisory board member for Merck and Moderna and as a consultant to Merck. In addition, Gregory Zimet, Katharine Head, and Monica Kasting have received investigator-initiated research funding from Merck administered through Indiana University and Purdue University. Erika L. Thompson has served as a paid consultant to Merck for work on HPV vaccination. Shannon Christy serves as an unpaid Advisory Board Member of the HPV Cancers Alliance (a non-profit organization). The remaining authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Average likelihood of OB/GYN HPV vaccination recommendation by patient relationship status, parity, and age.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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