%0 Thesis
%9 Master Essay
%A Baron, Marissa
%D 2016
%F pittir:30572
%I University of Pittsburgh
%T Recent healthcare provider perceptions of the human papillomavirus vaccine: a literature review
%U http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/30572/
%X Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States and the primary cause of cervical cancer. Approximately 14 million people will contract the virus this year. Luckily, the HPV vaccine provides protection from HPV infection and, therefore, HPV related cancers and conditions. Unfortunately, only 42% of adolescent girls and 28% of adolescent boys have received the recommended three doses of the vaccine. This literature review examines provider perspectives on the HPV vaccine with an emphasis on identifying the barriers and facilitators of vaccination. Thirty articles from the United States were found to meet the selection criteria through a PubMed database search using parameters regarding HPV, providers, and perceptions. Providers not recommending the vaccine, concerns about vaccine safety and side effects, the cost or the perceived cost of the vaccine, and providers not prioritizing the vaccine because it is not mandated for school entry were among the barriers identified. Facilitators of vaccination included repetitive recommendations at each subsequent visit after a vaccine denial and presenting the vaccine as a means of cancer prevention. The reduction of cervical cancer cases is a public health issue that is facilitated by the HPV vaccine. Understanding the perspectives of health care providers is certainly useful and may be essential in efforts to increase the uptake of this vaccine, making these perspectives of public health importance. Ongoing efforts to increase HPV vaccination rates should be designed with an understanding of the current dynamics in play between providers, adolescent patients, and their parents with regards to the HPV vaccine.