Increasing Provider Education to Improve HPV Vaccination Rates in Female Veterans

Abstract

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted disease that affects more than 75% of people. It has been identified for being responsible for over 10,000 cases of cervical cancers annually, in addition to other cancers and diseases. Gardasil 9 is a vaccine that protects against several strands of HPV, including the strands responsible for cervical cancer. HPV vaccination rates are considerably low for adults. A lack of provider knowledge regarding the HPV vaccine, Gardasil 9, has been attributed to the cause. This project aimed to enhance provider knowledge, thus improving the rate of vaccination. Ten providers in a women’s clinic participated in an education session, in addition to being invited to participate in pre- and post-surveys regarding the education, their knowledge, and comfort level regarding discussing and ordering the vaccine. There was a significant increase in the vaccination rates at the end of the project.