Awareness and Attitude of Polish Gynecologists and General Practitioners towards Human Papillomavirus Vaccinations
- PMID: 37107910
- PMCID: PMC10137407
- DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11081076
Awareness and Attitude of Polish Gynecologists and General Practitioners towards Human Papillomavirus Vaccinations
Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV) leads to diseases of the skin and mucous membranes of the anogenital and upper gastrointestinal tract, especially neoplasia. HPV vaccinations effectively protect against the development of HPV-related diseases. However, despite the wide availability of vaccination for patients, only a few percent of Polish children are vaccinated. The reasons for this are certainly complex. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate gynecologists' and general practitioners' knowledge, awareness and attitudes towards HPV vaccination and analyze their opinions about the interest in HPV vaccinations among children and parents. An anonymous, voluntary, cross-sectional survey study was conducted among 300 Polish gynecologists and general practitioners. Participants were from a diverse group with a wide range of work experience and different workplaces. Most of the respondents (83%), especially the gynecologists (p = 0.03), declared informing and discussing with parents the HPV-related diseases and prevention methods. Only 8% of the participants reported a negative reaction from parents when talking about HPV vaccines. However, in practice, physicians very rarely recommend this vaccine. HPV vaccination was recommended more often by female physicians (p = 0.03), general practitioners (p < 0.001), physicians working over five years (p < 0.001), doctors who regularly vaccinated themselves against influenza (p = 0.01) and those who vaccinated their children against HPV (p =0.001). The availability of educational materials for parents and/or patients encouraged physicians to provide this information (p < 0.001). Polish gynecologists and general practitioners declared a positive attitude regarding HPV vaccines; however, they rarely recommended this vaccine. Physicians who vaccinate themselves against influenza and their own children against HPV are more likely to provide information and encourage HPV vaccination in others. Additionally, the availability of educational material for parents and adolescents plays an essential role in the popularization of this vaccination. Knowledge alone is not enough for physicians to recommend the vaccination to patients.
Keywords: HPV vaccines; control of cervical cancer; general practitioners; gynecologists; knowledge; papillomavirus infections; prevention.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Similar articles
-
A survey of knowledge, attitudes and awareness of the HPV and HPV vaccine among obstetricians and gynecologists across Poland.Ginekol Pol. 2022;93(11):872-880. doi: 10.5603/GP.a2021.0228. Epub 2022 Jan 24. Ginekol Pol. 2022. PMID: 35072233
-
Knowledge and Awareness of Polish Parents on Vaccination against Human Papillomavirus.Vaccines (Basel). 2022 Jul 20;10(7):1156. doi: 10.3390/vaccines10071156. Vaccines (Basel). 2022. PMID: 35891319 Free PMC article.
-
Human papillomavirus vaccination recommendation may be linked to reimbursement: a survey of Virginia family practitioners and gynecologists.J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2011 Dec;24(6):380-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jpag.2011.06.016. Epub 2011 Sep 9. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2011. PMID: 21906978
-
Should men be exempted from vaccination against human papillomavirus? Health disparities regarding HPV: the example of sexual minorities in Poland.J Prev Med Hyg. 2021 Jul 30;62(2):E386-E391. doi: 10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2021.62.2.1863. eCollection 2021 Jun. J Prev Med Hyg. 2021. PMID: 34604578 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Healthcare for children and adolescents in Poland.Turk Pediatri Ars. 2020 Sep 1;55(Suppl 1):63-68. doi: 10.14744/TurkPediatriArs.2020.90692. eCollection 2020. Turk Pediatri Ars. 2020. PMID: 32963482 Free PMC article. Review.
References
-
- Aral S.O., Holmes K.K. Sexually Transmitted Diseases. 4th ed. McGraw Hill Medical; New York, NY, USA: 2008. The epidemiology of STIs and their social and behavioral determinants; industrialized and developing countries; pp. 53–92.
-
- Thoms H. Diagnosis of uterine cancer by the vaginal smear. Yale J. Biol. Med. 1943;15:924.
-
- Patel C., Brotherton J.M., Pillsbury A., Jayasinghe S., Donovan B., Macartney K., Marshall H. The impact of 10 years of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in Australia: What additional disease burden will a nonavalent vaccine prevent? Eurosurveillance. 2018;23:1700737. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2018.23.41.1700737. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
-
- World Health Organization Major Milestone Reached as 100 Countries Have Introduced HPV Vaccine into National Schedule. [(accessed on 10 April 2022)]. Available online: https://www.who.int/news/item/31-10-2019-major-milestone-reached-as-100-....
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources