HPV vaccination knowledge, attitude, and practices among physicians in a teaching hospital, Karachi

Context: Cervical cancer is a global public health problem. It is the fourth most common cancer in women globally. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has reduced the incidence of HPV-related illness in the past decade. However, for the vaccination programs to be successful, recommendation by the pri...

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Main Authors: Sehrish Habib Memon, Bhombhal Swaleha Tariq
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2025-01-01
Series:Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_761_24
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author Sehrish Habib Memon
Bhombhal Swaleha Tariq
author_facet Sehrish Habib Memon
Bhombhal Swaleha Tariq
author_sort Sehrish Habib Memon
collection DOAJ
description Context: Cervical cancer is a global public health problem. It is the fourth most common cancer in women globally. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has reduced the incidence of HPV-related illness in the past decade. However, for the vaccination programs to be successful, recommendation by the primary care physicians is essential. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, practices, and barriers toward HPV vaccination among physicians practicing at a teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Settings and Design: This is a cross-sectional study carried out with a sample size of 165 among doctors practicing in Family medicine, Internal medicine, Pediatrics, and Gynecology outpatient clinics at a teaching hospital. Methods and Material: Physicians were approached in outpatient clinics, and a pilot-tested coded questionnaire was filled by them. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed using SPSS version 19. Results: Results show 22.4% males and 77.6% females participated in the study. 20% were internists, 35.2% were family physicians, 18.8% were pediatricians, and 26.1% were gynecologists. In terms of knowledge, 67.2% physicians showed good knowledge. In terms of attitude, it was found that 90.9% of physicians showed positive attitude toward prescribing HPV vaccine. However, only 37.5% physicians prescribed HPV vaccine to patients. Cost of vaccine, time constraints, and lack of knowledge among female patients were recognized as the most common barriers against prescribing the vaccine. Conclusions: From these results, we can infer that overall practices of our physicians are lacking, with respect to prescribing the HPV vaccine. Positive attitude should be taken as an advantage, and overcoming the barriers should be considered as the next step for improvement of our practice.
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spelling doaj-art-c8151bb50ae744b3989a6a4cce85ea792025-02-11T12:53:32ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsJournal of Family Medicine and Primary Care2249-48632278-71352025-01-0114113213810.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_761_24HPV vaccination knowledge, attitude, and practices among physicians in a teaching hospital, KarachiSehrish Habib MemonBhombhal Swaleha TariqContext: Cervical cancer is a global public health problem. It is the fourth most common cancer in women globally. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has reduced the incidence of HPV-related illness in the past decade. However, for the vaccination programs to be successful, recommendation by the primary care physicians is essential. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, practices, and barriers toward HPV vaccination among physicians practicing at a teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Settings and Design: This is a cross-sectional study carried out with a sample size of 165 among doctors practicing in Family medicine, Internal medicine, Pediatrics, and Gynecology outpatient clinics at a teaching hospital. Methods and Material: Physicians were approached in outpatient clinics, and a pilot-tested coded questionnaire was filled by them. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed using SPSS version 19. Results: Results show 22.4% males and 77.6% females participated in the study. 20% were internists, 35.2% were family physicians, 18.8% were pediatricians, and 26.1% were gynecologists. In terms of knowledge, 67.2% physicians showed good knowledge. In terms of attitude, it was found that 90.9% of physicians showed positive attitude toward prescribing HPV vaccine. However, only 37.5% physicians prescribed HPV vaccine to patients. Cost of vaccine, time constraints, and lack of knowledge among female patients were recognized as the most common barriers against prescribing the vaccine. Conclusions: From these results, we can infer that overall practices of our physicians are lacking, with respect to prescribing the HPV vaccine. Positive attitude should be taken as an advantage, and overcoming the barriers should be considered as the next step for improvement of our practice.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_761_24attitudehpv vaccinekarachiknowledgephysicianspractices
spellingShingle Sehrish Habib Memon
Bhombhal Swaleha Tariq
HPV vaccination knowledge, attitude, and practices among physicians in a teaching hospital, Karachi
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
attitude
hpv vaccine
karachi
knowledge
physicians
practices
title HPV vaccination knowledge, attitude, and practices among physicians in a teaching hospital, Karachi
title_full HPV vaccination knowledge, attitude, and practices among physicians in a teaching hospital, Karachi
title_fullStr HPV vaccination knowledge, attitude, and practices among physicians in a teaching hospital, Karachi
title_full_unstemmed HPV vaccination knowledge, attitude, and practices among physicians in a teaching hospital, Karachi
title_short HPV vaccination knowledge, attitude, and practices among physicians in a teaching hospital, Karachi
title_sort hpv vaccination knowledge attitude and practices among physicians in a teaching hospital karachi
topic attitude
hpv vaccine
karachi
knowledge
physicians
practices
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_761_24
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