Pediatric Resident Attitudes Toward Inpatient Immunization of Children and Adolescents: Highlighting Differences in Human Papillomavirus Vaccination

Abstract

Over a decade after its debut, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine coverage remains suboptimal. The inpatient setting presents a largely unexplored opportunity to increase vaccination rates. This study aims to describe pediatric resident attitudes toward inpatient immunization and compare differences by vaccine, in particular HPV. An anonymous survey of beliefs and practices regarding inpatient vaccines was distributed to pediatric resident physicians at a single freestanding urban children’s hospital in September 2017. A total of 58 surveys were collected (64% response rate). We found that pediatric residents were more likely to report that they never or rarely discuss the HPV vaccine during hospitalization compared with the primary childhood series ( P = .001), Tdap ( P = .02), and the influenza vaccine ( P < .001), and rarely offer the HPV vaccine during hospitalization compared with childhood vaccines ( P = .003) and influenza ( P = .001). This suggests that provider hesitancy still exists for the HPV vaccine, presenting opportunities for further education and inpatient interventions.