Pediatric HPV Vaccination Rates Within a Tertiary Military Medical Center

Introduction: The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection. HPV vaccination has been available for 16 years, but uptake rates remain low. Otolaryngologists have unique experience with HPV-related diseases and therefore play an important role in promoting vaccination. The objectives of this study are to determine our center’s HPV vaccination rate and identify common negative perceptions surrounding the vaccine to guide more effective counseling.

Methods: De-identified immunization records for patients ages 11-26 that receive care at Brooke Army Medical Center were retrieved from the Military Health System Population Health Portal. Vaccine uptake rate was determined by dividing the number of patients who had completed the HPV vaccine series by the total target population. All patients were considered vaccine-complete after three doses, except ages 11-14, who were complete with two doses after October 2016. From October 2021 to December 2022, a clinic survey was distributed to parents (for patients ages 11-17) or patients themselves (ages 18-26) during otolaryngology visits to poll vaccination status and attitudes towards the vaccine.

Results: 3,038 patients ages 11-26 are currently enrolled for primary care at Brooke Army Medical Center, but only 962 (32%) are vaccine-complete. 35 surveys were collected during the study period. 22 surveys (63%) from patients/parents reported that they/their child had received the HPV vaccine, though most were unsure of how many doses. Most surveys that reported prior HPV vaccination were answered completely, whereas most respondents without prior vaccination left multiple survey items unanswered. Concerns about vaccine safety and difficulty getting scheduled were the most common reasons patients were unvaccinated.

Conclusions: HPV vaccination is critical for the prevention of certain head/neck diseases. Counseling can be difficult given the common misconceptions or disinterest surrounding vaccination, but understanding these attitudes will allow otolaryngologists to counsel patients more effectively and ideally increase vaccine uptake.