Determinants of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine recommendation among Middle Eastern and Lebanese Healthcare Providers

Abstract

Objective: To improve the knowledge, awareness, and attitude (KAA) among health care providers (HCPs) regarding Human Papilloma Virus vaccination (HPV-V), the Lebanese Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (LSOG) has regularly organized educational meetings, symposia, and workshops. Methods: We conducted two sets of surveys among attendees of the LSOG congresses in 2009 and 2018 to assess their KAA towards HPV-V. Results: Around 30% (362) of LSOG attendees participated in our surveys in 2009 and 2018 (185 Vs.177 respectively). Most of them were obstetricians and gynecologists. Most HCPs considered that HPV-V can prevent cervical cancer (CC) [82% and 80% respectively, P = 0.73], however, around 60% were confident enough to convince their patients. HCPs who were confident about the efficacy of the HPV-Vs were more likely to believe that HPV-V can prevent CC (odds ratio = 22.5, p-value = 0.003). These HCPS were more likely to recommend HPV-V (OR = 6.6, p-value = 0.009). About 20% of HCPs who usually recommend HPV-V, reported cost as a main barrier compared to 76% of those who did not. Conclusions: Being familiar with HPV, HPV-related diseases, CC, HPV vaccines and their effectiveness significantly influence whether a HCP recommends HPV-V. The KAA of HCPs did not significantly improve from 2009 to 2018.

Keywords

• Papillomavirus vaccines
• Health personnel
• Attitude
• Knowledge
• Lebanon