Pharmacists’ Attitudes and Perceived Barriers to Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Services
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Health Outcomes Research and Policy, Harrison School of Pharmacy Auburn University, 020 James E. Foy Hall, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
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College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, 307 N University Blvd, Mobile, AL 36688, USA
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Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W Markham St, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Pharmacy 2017, 5(3), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy5030045
Received: 15 May 2017
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Revised: 5 June 2017
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Accepted: 3 August 2017
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Published: 7 August 2017
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Pharmacists in the Community Setting)
Use of non-traditional settings such as community pharmacies has been suggested to increase human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination uptake and completion rates. The objectives of this study were to explore HPV vaccination services and strategies employed by pharmacies to increase HPV vaccine uptake, pharmacists’ attitudes towards the HPV vaccine, and pharmacists’ perceived barriers to providing HPV vaccination services in community pharmacies. A pre-piloted mail survey was sent to 350 randomly selected community pharmacies in Alabama in 2014. Measures included types of vaccines administered and marketing/recommendation strategies, pharmacists’ attitudes towards the HPV vaccine, and perceived system and parental barriers. Data analysis largely took the form of descriptive statistics. 154 pharmacists completed the survey (response rate = 44%). The majority believed vaccination is the best protection against cervical cancer (85.3%), HPV is a serious threat to health for girls (78.8%) and boys (55.6%), and children should not wait until they are sexually active to be vaccinated (80.1%). Perceived system barriers included insufficient patient demand (56.5%), insurance plans not covering vaccination cost (54.8%), and vaccine expiration before use (54.1%). Respondents also perceived parents to have inadequate education and understanding about HPV infection (86.6%) and vaccine safety (78.7%). Pharmacists have positive perceptions regarding the HPV vaccine. Barriers related to system factors and perceived parental concerns must be overcome to increase pharmacist involvement in HPV vaccinations.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Hastings, T.J.; Hohmann, L.A.; McFarland, S.J.; Teeter, B.S.; Westrick, S.C. Pharmacists’ Attitudes and Perceived Barriers to Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Services. Pharmacy 2017, 5, 45. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy5030045
AMA Style
Hastings TJ, Hohmann LA, McFarland SJ, Teeter BS, Westrick SC. Pharmacists’ Attitudes and Perceived Barriers to Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Services. Pharmacy. 2017; 5(3):45. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy5030045
Chicago/Turabian StyleHastings, Tessa J., Lindsey A. Hohmann, Stuart J. McFarland, Benjamin S. Teeter, and Salisa C. Westrick. 2017. "Pharmacists’ Attitudes and Perceived Barriers to Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Services" Pharmacy 5, no. 3: 45. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy5030045
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