title: Qualitative study of the feasibility of HPV vaccine delivery to young adolescent girls in Vietnam: evidence from a government-implemented demonstration program.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Introduction of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in national programs has proceeded apace since 2006, mostly in high-income countries. Recently concluded pilots of HPV vaccination in low-income countries have provided important lessons learned for these settings; however, rigorous evaluations of the feasibility of these delivery strategies that effectively reach young adolescents have been few. This paper presents results from a qualitative evaluation of a demonstration program which implemented school-based and health center-based HPV vaccinations to all girls in grade 6, or 11 years of age, for two years in four districts of Vietnam.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using semi-structured interviews of 131 health and education staff from local, district, province, and national levels and 26 focus-group discussions with local project implementers (n = 153), we conducted a qualitative two-year evaluation to measure the impact of HPV vaccinations on the health and education systems.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HPV vaccine delivery at schools or health centers was made feasible by: a. close collaboration between the health and education sectors, b. detailed planning for implementation, c. clearly defined roles and responsibilities for project implementers, d. effective management and supervision of vaccinations during delivery, and e. engagement with community organizations for support. Both the health and education systems were temporarily challenged with the extra workload, but the disruptions were short-lived (a few days for each of three doses) and perceived as worth the longer-term benefit of cervical cancer prevention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The learning from Vietnam has identified critical elements for successful vaccine delivery that can provide a model for other countries to consider during their planning of national rollout of HPV vaccine.
authors.affiliation: Vaccine Access & Delivery Department, PATH, PO Box 900922, Seattle, WA 98109, USA. slamontagne@path.org.
authors.forename: D Scott
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: LaMontagne
authors.forename: Nguyen Quy
authors.initials: NQ
authors.lastname: Nghi
authors.forename: Le Thi
authors.initials: le T
authors.lastname: Nga
authors.forename: Amynah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Janmohamed
authors.forename: Dang Thi Thanh
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Huyen
authors.forename: Nguyen Tran
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Hien
authors.forename: Vivien Davis
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Tsu
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D005178:Faculty; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006078:Government Programs; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011247:Pregnancy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012572:School Health Services; D014744:Vietnam
chemical_list: D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines