Awareness, Attitudes and Clinical Practices Regarding Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among General Practitioners and Pediatricians in Switzerland
In Switzerland, the human papillomavirus vaccination (HPVv) coverage rate lies below a desirable threshold. General practitioners (GPs) and pediatricians have been recognized as important providers of the HPVv, but there is little known about their self-attributed role and its relationship with thei...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Vaccines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/9/4/332 |
| _version_ | 1797539206878199808 |
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| author | Levy Jäger Oliver Senn Thomas Rosemann Andreas Plate |
| author_facet | Levy Jäger Oliver Senn Thomas Rosemann Andreas Plate |
| author_sort | Levy Jäger |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In Switzerland, the human papillomavirus vaccination (HPVv) coverage rate lies below a desirable threshold. General practitioners (GPs) and pediatricians have been recognized as important providers of the HPVv, but there is little known about their self-attributed role and its relationship with their actual HPVv behavior. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore the awareness, attitudes, and clinical practices of Swiss GPs and pediatricians concerning HPVv by means of a web-based questionnaire. We analyzed the responses of 422 physicians (72% GPs, 28% pediatricians). A substantial proportion of respondents considered the HPVv “absolutely essential” (54.2% of pediatricians, 30.6% of GPs). GPs indicated spending more time and effort on HPVv counseling for female rather than male patients more often compared to pediatricians (44.0% versus 13.9%, <i>p</i> < 0.001). The weekly number of patients aged 18–26 years seen in practice (<i>p</i> = 0.002) and whether the HPVv was deemed “absolutely essential” (adjusted odds ratio 2.39, 95% confidence interval 1.12–5.08) were factors associated with GPs administering HPVv in their practice. Shortcomings in terms of awareness, effort in the identification of potential vaccination candidates, and the role of male patients were revealed. By addressing these gaps, Swiss primary care providers could contribute to an increase in the national HPVv coverage rate. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:42:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ca6c2b5d820947b3876f58fb51f05267 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-393X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:42:55Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vaccines |
| spelling | doaj.art-ca6c2b5d820947b3876f58fb51f052672023-11-21T13:46:13ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2021-04-019433210.3390/vaccines9040332Awareness, Attitudes and Clinical Practices Regarding Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among General Practitioners and Pediatricians in SwitzerlandLevy Jäger0Oliver Senn1Thomas Rosemann2Andreas Plate3Institute of Primary Care, University Hospital Zurich, 8091 Zurich, SwitzerlandInstitute of Primary Care, University Hospital Zurich, 8091 Zurich, SwitzerlandInstitute of Primary Care, University Hospital Zurich, 8091 Zurich, SwitzerlandInstitute of Primary Care, University Hospital Zurich, 8091 Zurich, SwitzerlandIn Switzerland, the human papillomavirus vaccination (HPVv) coverage rate lies below a desirable threshold. General practitioners (GPs) and pediatricians have been recognized as important providers of the HPVv, but there is little known about their self-attributed role and its relationship with their actual HPVv behavior. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore the awareness, attitudes, and clinical practices of Swiss GPs and pediatricians concerning HPVv by means of a web-based questionnaire. We analyzed the responses of 422 physicians (72% GPs, 28% pediatricians). A substantial proportion of respondents considered the HPVv “absolutely essential” (54.2% of pediatricians, 30.6% of GPs). GPs indicated spending more time and effort on HPVv counseling for female rather than male patients more often compared to pediatricians (44.0% versus 13.9%, <i>p</i> < 0.001). The weekly number of patients aged 18–26 years seen in practice (<i>p</i> = 0.002) and whether the HPVv was deemed “absolutely essential” (adjusted odds ratio 2.39, 95% confidence interval 1.12–5.08) were factors associated with GPs administering HPVv in their practice. Shortcomings in terms of awareness, effort in the identification of potential vaccination candidates, and the role of male patients were revealed. By addressing these gaps, Swiss primary care providers could contribute to an increase in the national HPVv coverage rate.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/9/4/332human papillomavirusvaccineprimary care providerssurvey |
| spellingShingle | Levy Jäger Oliver Senn Thomas Rosemann Andreas Plate Awareness, Attitudes and Clinical Practices Regarding Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among General Practitioners and Pediatricians in Switzerland Vaccines human papillomavirus vaccine primary care providers survey |
| title | Awareness, Attitudes and Clinical Practices Regarding Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among General Practitioners and Pediatricians in Switzerland |
| title_full | Awareness, Attitudes and Clinical Practices Regarding Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among General Practitioners and Pediatricians in Switzerland |
| title_fullStr | Awareness, Attitudes and Clinical Practices Regarding Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among General Practitioners and Pediatricians in Switzerland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Awareness, Attitudes and Clinical Practices Regarding Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among General Practitioners and Pediatricians in Switzerland |
| title_short | Awareness, Attitudes and Clinical Practices Regarding Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among General Practitioners and Pediatricians in Switzerland |
| title_sort | awareness attitudes and clinical practices regarding human papillomavirus vaccination among general practitioners and pediatricians in switzerland |
| topic | human papillomavirus vaccine primary care providers survey |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/9/4/332 |
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