Strategies used by healthcare professionals to increase the human papillomavirus vaccine uptake among adolescents in Ireland: A qualitative study

Background: Adolescent human papillomavirus vaccine uptake in Ireland dropped to 50–60 % between 2016 and 2021. Healthcare professionals play a vital role in increasing the uptake of human papillomavirus vaccine among adolescents. This is the first study that sought to identify the key opportunities for healthcare professionals to get adolescent vaccination uptake to optimal rate. Objective: To explore the strategies healthcare professionals in Ireland use to promote vaccine uptake among adolescents and to understand how they are addressing vaccine hesitancy. Design: A qualitative descriptive study. Setting(s): Three community health organisations in Ireland. Participants: A purposive sample of 17 healthcare professionals involved in the delivery of the human papillomavirus vaccination programme in Ireland was recruited. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted between November 2022 and July 2023. Reflexive thematic analysis method was used to analyse the interview data. Results: Four themes emerged from the data: Attitudes towards the human papillomavirus vaccine; Strategies used to promote the vaccine's uptake; Organisational and structural enablers and barriers; and Future improvement strategies. Healthcare professionals reported that there are still concerns about the safety and efficacy of human papillomavirus vaccine especially among marginalised populations. Healthcare professionals reported that increased uptake was more likely if they adopted flexible approaches to delivering the vaccine, easily accessible drop-in clinics, and proving more opportunities to educate adolescents and parents about the importance of the vaccine. Despite these efforts, healthcare professionals are faced with organisational barriers that hinder effective delivery. Policy reform to support and educate stakeholders could improve the vaccine uptake. In addition, more work is needed to address unproven negative testimonies on social media, to reduce concerns among the public regarding the safety and potential side effects of the vaccine. Conclusions: Human papillomavirus vaccine is one of the best preventative measures that public health care has to offer in preventing and reducing human papillomavirus related cancers and infections. Healthcare professionals demonstrated several interventions they adopt to improve the uptake of the human papillomavirus vaccine for adolescents. The findings suggest that adopting better multi-setting approaches to vaccination programmes and multi-system collaborative efforts would significantly increase the uptake of the vaccine. Tweetable abstract: Strategies used by healthcare professionals to increase the human papillomavirus vaccine uptake among adolescents in Ireland.