Recommending STI vaccination to parents of adolescents: the attitudes of nurse practitioners.
BACKGROUND
Future successful sexually transmitted infection (STI) vaccine programs will depend on health professionals' readiness to vaccinate adolescents.


OBJECTIVE
The goal was to examine nurse practitioners' willingness to recommend STI vaccines to parents of adolescent patients.


METHODS
Participants rated 13 hypothetical vaccine scenarios, each of which was defined along 4 dimensions: infection; patient age, patient gender, and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) endorsement. Conjoint analysis was used to determine the relative contribution of each dimension to the ratings.


RESULTS
Generally, participants were amenable to recommending STI vaccines. Conjoint analysis indicated that AAP recommendation, infection, and patient age most strongly influenced ratings. There was particular interest in an HIV vaccine, but there was reluctance to vaccinate younger adolescents or to vaccinate without AAP endorsement.


CONCLUSIONS
Nurse practitioners are willing to recommend STI vaccines to parents of adolescents. Professional organization endorsement plays an important role in this decision. Younger-aged adolescents were not viewed as candidates for these vaccines.
Mays
Rose M
RM
Department of Family Health, Indiana University School of Nursing, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, USA. rmays@iupui.edu
Zimet
Gregory D
GD
D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D003376:Counseling; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007196:Indiana; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*