Healthcare provider vaccine knowledge and attitudes influence delivery of a strong vaccine recommendation. We aim to describe HPV vaccine knowledge, attitudes, and recommendation or discussion practices (KAP) among New York State medical providers, dentists, and pharmacists. A survey to assess providers’ KAP was distributed electronically to NYS members of medical organizations. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used to characterize provider KAP. Responses from 1637 surveys were included, from 864 (53%) medical providers, 737 (45%) dentists, and 36 (2%) pharmacists. 59% (509/864) of medical providers responded that they recommend HPV vaccine to patients, with 390/509 (77%) strongly recommending vaccine at 11–12 years. Medical providers were more likely to report recommending HPV vaccine for children ages 11–12 years if they strongly agreed that HPV vaccine prevents cancer 326/391 (83%) vs 64/117 (55%) and responded that HPV vaccination does not increase the risk of unprotected sex (386/494 (78%) vs 4/15 (25%)) ( p < .05). Less than 1/3 of dentists reported discussing HPV vaccine with 11–26-year-old females (230/737, 31%) and males (205/737, 28%) at least “sometimes.” Dentists were more likely to answer that they routinely discuss HPV vaccine with children ages 11–12 years if they responded that HPV vaccination does not increase sexual activity (70/73 (96%) vs 528/662 (80%), p < .001). Few pharmacists reported discussing HPV vaccine with 11–26-year-old females (6/36 (17%)) and males (5/36 (14%)) at least “sometimes.” Gaps in HPV vaccine knowledge among providers still exist and may influence vaccine attitudes and recommendation or discussion practices.

Community-wide vaccine uptake remains sub-optimal. Healthcare provider (HCP) vaccine recommendations influence patient vaccination; however, provider vaccine recommendation behavior is highly influenced by one’s own vaccine attitudes and/or knowledge. We aim to describe vaccine knowledge, attitudes, and recommendation practices (KAP) among New York State HCPs. A survey to assess HCP KAP was developed and electronically distributed to NYS members of national medical organizations via their local chapter administrators. Descriptive statistical methods were used to define provider KAP. A total of 864 surveys were included, 500 (60%) and 336 (40%) primary and specialty care providers, respectively. Eighty-one percent (402/499) of primary care providers (PCPs) report encountering vaccine hesitant patients daily or weekly. Of the 500 PCPs who responded, only 204 (41%) stated strong agreement with confidence in their communications with vaccine hesitant patients. HCPs who correctly answered all four knowledge questions were more likely to self-report routine recommendations of standard vaccines to all patients when compared to those who correctly answered fewer questions (489/588 (83%) vs 135/241 (56%), p < .05). HCPs were more likely to routinely recommend standard vaccines to all patients if they also report initiating vaccine discussion (476/485 (98%) vs 148/344 (43%), p < .05) and reviewing and recommending vaccinations at each encounter (315/320 (98%) vs 308/508 (61%), p < .05). Vaccine hesitancy exists across healthcare specialties and provider roles. Focused interventions should include reaching all HCPs to promote vaccinations for disease prevention, tailoring messages to reduce HCP vaccine misperceptions, and increasing awareness of evidence-based office strategies known to facilitate immunizations.

Background Vaccine attitudes of healthcare providers (HCPs) influence patient vaccine acceptance. We sought to characterize vaccine knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) among HCPs in NYS. Methods An electronic survey was developed to assess vaccine KAP among HCPs. The questionnaires were sent to members of various national medical organizations via local chapter administrators. Results 864 surveys were returned from 672 (78%) physicians and 192 (22%) mid-level practitioners (MLPs). 624/724 (86%) of HCPs report always recommending routine vaccines to eligible patients, yet only 76% recommend influenza vaccine (IV) and 77% strongly recommend HPV vaccine at 11-12 yrs. MLPs had a higher mean agreement level that recommending vaccines (4.6 vs 4.2 p &lt; 0.01) or promoting HPV vaccine (4.2 vs. 3.9 p &lt; 0.05) is within their scope of practice. Physicians had a higher mean agreement level that: vaccine benefits outweigh risks (4.9 vs 4.6 p &lt; 0.01), HPV vaccine prevents cancer (4.7 vs 4.5 p &lt; 0.01), and COVID-19 vaccine is safe (4.8 vs 4.5 p &lt; 0.01) and effective (4.8 vs 4.7 p &lt; 0.01). 82% (680/825) of HCPs knew that vaccines should not be deferred for mild illness. 14/836 (2%) believed that HPV vaccine could increase sexual activity, while 273/705 (39%) knew that the most common HPV associated malignancy is oropharyngeal cancer. HCPs who correctly answered ≥ 5/7 questions (462/507 91%) were more likely to recommend all vaccines to eligible patients than HCPs with lower scores (22/40 50% p &lt; 0.05). Routine IV recommendation was more likely among HCPs who: strongly disagree that influenza is not serious enough for vaccination (292/397 (74%) vs 137/249 (55%) p &lt; 0.01), strongly agree that it prevents severe disease (267/352 (76%) vs 162/294 (55%) p &lt; 0.01), and receive annual IV (423/629 (67%) vs 6/17 (35%)) p &lt; 0.01). HPV vaccine recommendation at 11-12 years was more likely among HCPs who strongly agree that the vaccine prevents cancer (273/326 (84%) vs 48/86, 56% p &lt; 0.01) and those who stated that vaccination does not increase risk of unprotected sex (316/392 (79%) vs 3/12 (25%) p &lt; 0.01). Conclusion Vaccine recommendation practices are influenced by HCP vaccine misperceptions and hesitancy. Interventions to reduce misperceptions and improve vaccine confidence are needed. Disclosures Manika Suryadevara, MD, Janssen: Grant/Research Support|Merck: Grant/Research Support|Roche: Grant/Research Support.