Introduction: The human papillomavirus (HPV) causes largely preventable cancers by completing a vaccination series. However, pediatric HPV vaccination rates remain low. Current evidence indicates that integrating five factors creates a high-quality recommendation associated with higher HPV vaccination rates. This quality improvement project aimed to evaluate the impact of an educational intervention to improve the quality of providers' recommendations and subsequent vaccination rates.
Method: Using the Squire 2.0 Guidelines, clinical staff were observed during well-child visits (aged 11-12 years) before and after the intervention across three Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles.
Results: Thirty-nine encounters with mostly (n = 31; 80%) families of color. The quality of vaccine recommendations was improved after the intervention; however, vaccination rates did not increase for the 39 patients. Providers' delivery approach (presumptive vs. conversational) did increase vaccination rates.
Discussion: Providers' delivery style appears to be important when making HPV vaccine recommendations.
Keywords: HPV vaccine recommendation; PDSA cycles; cancer prevention; human papillomavirus vaccine; quality improvement.
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