The collective failure of the HPV vaccine is ours

A couple of years ago, “epic fail” was the phrase my teenage son used as I unsuccessfully attempted to beat him in a game we were playing. At the time, I thought to myself it was a harsh but accurate assessment of my performance. And I was certainly motivated to practice on my own so that the next time, things would be different. That same phrase came to mind as I read through an October 2015 article published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention titled, “Quality of Physician Communication about Human Papillomavirus Vaccine: Findings from a National Survey.” The article describes well the poor performance of the medical community (primarily pediatricians and family physicians) in providing this vaccine. Another source, the most recent National Immunization Survey-Teen 2014, reports another alarming trend: HPV vaccine series initiation and completion continues to lag far behind what it should be. It came as no surprise to me that the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention article clearly showed what I have suspected for some time and what has been hinted at by previous studies. The epic failure in providing what is essentially a cancer-prevention vaccine to the recommended population of 11- and 12-year-old boys and girls lies not at the feet of the antivaccine movement or hesitant parents. Rather, the failure belongs to us. Continue reading ... Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media g...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Conditions Pediatrics Source Type: blogs