Assessing Parents’ Views of Pharmacists in the Administration of the HPV Vaccine in Hawaii

Authors: Dela Cruz MRI, Tsark JAU, and Braun KL

Category: Cancer Health Disparities, Behavioral Science & Health Communication
Conference Year: 2018

Abstract Body:
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess parents’ knowledge and attitudes of pharmacists as vaccinators and to identify location preferences for the administration of the HPV vaccine. Methods: In September 2017, 533 parents in Hawaii responded to questions about the HPV vaccine and their utilization of pharmacies through a statewide online and telephone survey. Their general perception and knowledge of vaccines, child’s current HPV vaccination status, and current and willing to use of pharmacies were evaluated. Results: Parents of children 11 to 17 years old reported their child’s HPV vaccine uptake rates and 32% were currently unvaccinated with the HPV vaccine and 65% reported that their child had received at least one shot of the vaccine. Only 4% of parents reported that their child was vaccinated at a pharmacy in the past. Overall, 57% of parents agree that most Hawaii pharmacists are trained to administer vaccine to adults, but only 40% of parents believe that pharmacists are trained to administer shots to 11 to 17 years old. Most parents with children vaccinated with the HPV vaccine (72%) were willing to have brought their child to a pharmacy for vaccination and only 54% of parents with children unvaccinated with the HPV vaccine were willing to bring their child to get vaccinated at the pharmacy. Parents with children unvaccinated with the HPV vaccine were asked their preference of place for vaccination - 57% preferred to have their child vaccinated at the doctor’s office, 20% preferred the doctor’s office for the first shot and the pharmacy for the remaining shots, and 20% preferred all shots to be received at the pharmacy. Conclusions: A new 2017 Hawaii law allows pharmacists to administer vaccines to 11 to 17 year olds to increase HPV vaccination. Despite this law, only 65% of parents are willing to vaccinate their child with the vaccine at pharmacies. With no active education campaigns in Hawaii promoting the HPV vaccine, a first step to increasing vaccination rates at pharmacies is to develop health education materials for providers and parents to inform them of this new policy. Training of pharmacists and promotion of vaccination services at pharmacies could also aid in increasing HPV vaccination uptake in pharmacies.

Keywords: Human papillomavirus vaccine, HPV, parent