HPV Infection and Vaccination: A Question and Answer Guide for School Nurses

Abstract

School nurses frequently interact with school-age children and their parents/guardians regarding vaccinations. As a trusted source of information, the school nurse is in a unique position to share vaccine information with parents/guardians and school-age children that may dispel myths and, consequently, improve vaccination rates. Nevertheless, some parents/guardians are still reluctant to vaccinate their school-age children against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) for a variety of reasons. Common barriers to HPV vaccination include a lack of understanding of the vaccine’s purpose, concerns regarding the vaccine’s safety, and insufficient recommendation from healthcare workers. However, school nurses have many duties in addition to ensuring vaccine compliance. School nurses may have difficulty remaining up-to-date on evidence-based answers to parents’/guardians’ questions about HPV vaccine. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide school nurses with a quick reference question and answer guide to parents’/guardians’ common HPV-related vaccination questions.