Effectiveness of provider communication training for increasing human papillomavirus vaccine initiation at a safety-net health system.

Background: Strong provider recommendation can increase uptake of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. Therefore, we developed and implemented a provider education intervention on communication strategies for recommending HPV vaccination with clinic-level audit and feedback (HPV: Communicating about HPV to Adults and Teens [HPV CHAT]). We aimed to evaluate the effect of HPV CHAT on HPV vaccine uptake in seven family medicine and pediatric clinics in a large urban health system (USA). Methods: We used a quasi-experimental design, where the eligible population included people aged 9-26 years with at least one encounter in June 2020-February 2023 at one of the participating community health clinics. We used interrupted time-series analysis to assess changes in the prevalence of HPV vaccine uptake. We used segmented Poisson regression with a log link function to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence limits (CL) for level (immediate) and slope (over time) changes with adjustment for seasonality using Fourier transformation. Results: Our study population comprised 60,328 observations in which the median age was 17 years (interquartile range: 13-21). A majority (58%) were female and 87% were racial/ethnic minorities. Overall, we observed no sizeable effect of the intervention on HPV vaccination uptake. Nonetheless, heterogeneity was observed by age group with modest increases in individuals aged 9-12 and 13-17 years. Conclusion: Our provider feedback intervention had minimal effect on increasing prevalence of HPV vaccination in seven family medicine and pediatric clinics. Novel strategies are needed to address provider barriers related to HPV vaccination.

Evaluation of a human papillomavirus vaccination training implementation in clinical and community settings across different clinical roles.

Improving human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is a national priority but uptake declined following the coronavirus pandemic. A strong predictor of HPV vaccination in the USA is a strong provider recommendation. Therefore, we developed a brief, asynchronous training on HPV vaccine recommendations in clinical and community settings as part of a multisite quality improvement initiative. This paper aims to describe the implementation and initial outcomes of the training provided. A 20-minute training on HPV vaccine bundled recommendations, motivational interviewing, and brief responses to patient concerns (Communicating about HPV vaccination to Adults and Teens; HPV CHAT) was implemented at seven safety-net clinics, two practice-based research network clinics, and nine county immunization clinics. We integrated training with clinical care teams; thus, we assessed immediate training outcomes across their different clinical roles compared to pre-training. In April-May 2022, HPV CHAT training was launched. One hundred eighty-seven people participated in the training and completed the pre-/postevaluation surveys. Knowledge about the HPV vaccine guidelines improved with notable changes in correctly reporting vaccine eligibility (P < .05). A significant change in participants' confidence when addressing safety concerns and answering questions about the HPV vaccine (clinicians, 26.8% and 17.1%; nurses, 29.0% and 23.2%, and clinical staff, 18.2% and 37.7%) was observed. At post-test, more than 85% of clinicians and nurses reported their plan to routinely recommend the HPV vaccine. This quality improvement initiative demonstrated implementation feasibility of a brief HPV vaccine training that improved provider and clinical staff knowledge, confidence, and intention to routinely recommend HPV vaccination.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is key to cancer prevention. Despite this fact, HPV vaccination is not widely accepted. Studies have shown that a strong recommendation can lead to HPV vaccination. Therefore, virtual educational training (Communicating about HPV vaccination to Adults and Teens; HPV CHAT) was developed to equip clinicians, nurses, and clinical staff with communication tools to support HPV recommendation and respond to patient concerns. HPV CHAT, a quality improvement initiative, was launched across numerous community and county clinical teams. To capture HPV CHAT training impact, pre- and post-evaluation surveys were disseminated alongside the training to capture training impact. After HPV CHAT implementation, training participants reported a positive impact on confidence and knowledge items; these findings were observed across all clinical roles in varying degrees. Overall, this quality improvement initiative successfully improved communication skill self-efficacy and knowledge across different clinical roles. This paper discusses training implementation strategies and the changes in knowledge and confidence after participating in the training.

Implementation of an unconscious bias course for the National Research Mentoring Network.

PURPOSE: Increased awareness and mitigation of one's unconscious bias is a critical strategy in diversifying the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) disciplines and workforce. Greater management of unconscious bias can enhance diverse recruitment, persistence, retention, and engagement of trainees. The purpose of this study was to describe the implementation of an asynchronous course on unconscious bias for people in STEMM. Specifically, we explored who engaged with the course and reflections from participation. METHOD: A five-part, asynchronous Unconscious Bias Course was developed and was hosted on a national mentoring platform starting in July 2020. To examine course engagement, we assessed the demographics of course participants and completion. Participant responses to reflection questions after each module were also synthesized using qualitative methods. RESULTS: Overall, 977 people registered for the course and 42% completed all modules. In the reflection responses, participants reflected on their unconscious biases in their lived experiences and how it relates to actions, judgements, external factors, stereotypes, and un-intentionality. Participants also reflected on microaggressions, their impact on the recipients and others, and the relationship between microaggressions and unconscious bias. Participants reported four key strategies used by allies against unconscious bias: immediately acting (83%), reflection (46%), improving the organizational culture (30%), and individual-level ally-ship (44%). Strategies for self-awareness included: reflection, pausing/breathing, and self-observation. CONCLUSION: The assessment of the Unconscious Bias Course implementation revealed the course reached a wide cross-section of people in STEMM and demonstrated that participants were able to reflect on the underpinnings of the course. This course, and its suite of offerings, support a nationwide effort to mitigate bias and prepare individuals to be culturally competent in a diverse society in order to foster a STEMM environment that caters to individuals' success and diversification of these fields.