Still another strategy for overcoming reluctance of HCPs to discuss sexuality with patients would be to frame HPV vaccination as routine, and/or to frame it as a cancer prevention vaccine. Another set of strategies involves giving HCPs the necessary tools to more
effectively implement HPV vaccination (for some suggestions regarding vaccinations in general, see: Leask et al., 2012 and Sturm et al., 2010). HCPs must be well-informed about current guidelines and safety information in order to communicate find more accurately with parents and adolescents (Bynum et al., 2011). Schnatz et al. (2010) found that providers’ unwillingness to discuss sexual matters with their patients was correlated with
poorer HPV knowledge. The challenge, then, is how to educate HCPs so that they can educate their patients. Bynum et al. (2011) emphasized the importance of professional organizations and web-based resources in this regard. It is particularly important for providers to be familiar with credible websites, as parents of adolescents increasingly use the internet as a source for information about HPV vaccination (Ekos Research Associates, Inc., 2011 and McRee et al., 2012b). Promising communication strategies that can be implemented in http://www.selleckchem.com/products/forskolin.html clinical settings include messaging to promote HPV vaccination (Cox et al., 2010 and Hopfer, 2012) and the use of text-messaging reminders to increase returns for second and third doses of vaccine (Kharbanda et al., 2011). In addition and to the issues which have been discussed above, there are other areas of research which both support the need for early vaccination and alleviate some potential concerns that parents may have when vaccinating their children against HPV. Studies that have examined the dyadic process of vaccine decision-making between parents and adolescents have identified benefits that result from the process itself as well as the communications surrounding HPV vaccine. Many researchers have concluded that communication about HPV vaccine by parents
with young adolescents is an opportunity to discuss sexual health topics which can build positive sexual health values (Askelson et al., 2011, Brabin et al., 2009, Gamble et al., 2010, Griffioen et al., 2012, McRee et al., 2012a and Roberts et al., 2010). Additionally, there is growing empirical evidence that HPV vaccine decision-making represents an early opportunity for adolescents to actively participate in their own clinical health care (Alexander et al., 2012 and Brabin et al., 2009). By recognizing the HPV decision-making process as an opportunity to instill sound health care practices in adolescents, both clinicians and parents should embrace this unique opportunity instead of avoiding it.