Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Increasing Hpv Vaccination In Adolescents, Emily Martin, Emily Hartmann

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Human papillomavirus virus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted disease that can negatively affect both males and females by leading to cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, penile, and oropharyngeal cancer. Vaccinating against HPV using the Gardasil vaccine is an effective method to prevent HPV, however, vaccination rates are still unacceptably low in adolescents ages 11 to 14. Pediatric providers should encourage and strongly recommend HPV vaccines to all adolescents. Addressing and easing parental hesitancy is a key component to improving vaccine acceptance. The setting for the project was a rural pediatric office in southern Illinois where HPV vaccination rates are lower than …