Completeness of Human Papilloma Virus Vaccination: A Systematic Review

Problem: It has been reported that some adolescents and young women who started taking human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination are not completing all three doses. The aim of this study was to systematically review intervention studies on HPV vaccination completion.

Eligibility criteria: Intervention studies with a comparison group that assessed HPV vaccination completion rate as the primary outcome variable in adolescents and adults younger than 26years of age, and published in English from 2006 to 2016, were eligible for review.

Sample: Five studies from a literature search of CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycARTICLES, PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases were included in this review.

Results: The overall quality of the reviewed studies was moderate, and the studies have mainly been conducted in a high-income country. Intervention strategies were DVD-based education on HPV and reminders that were delivered via either electronic or non-electronic methods. Some studies used fixed type of electronic reminders. Others chose preference-based electronic reminders, allowing participants to select one or two delivery options from e-mail, text message, automated telephone message, or Facebook message. Non-electronic reminders were letters sent by standard mail.

Conclusions: The rates of HPV vaccination completeness increased with the interventions. However, the completeness rate of HPV vaccination remained unsatisfactory and lower than its initiation rate.

Implications: Educational and reminder interventions for HPV vaccination could contribute to HPV vaccination completion. However, this review highlights the need for more high-quality studies to identify the best way to promote vaccination completion.