Graduation Semester and Year
Fall 2026
Language
English
Document Type
DNP Project
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Department
Nursing
First Advisor
Kimberly Hatchel, DNP, MHA, MSN, RN, CENP’s
Abstract
Introduction
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination prevents HPV related cancers, yet completion rates remain below state (Texas) and national goals. At the selected primary care clinic, 42% of adolescents aged 15-18 years had completed the HPV vaccine series as of October 2025. This quality improvement project aimed to improve HPV vaccine initiation and follow-up dose scheduling through a culturally tailored, multilevel intervention.
Methods
Guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework, an eight-week intervention included bilingual education for adolescents and caregivers, provider education, electronic health record (EHR) prompts, and digital reminders. Baseline data from an eight-week period in 2025 were compared with intervention data collected in 2026. Chi-square tests were used to evaluate differences in project outcomes.
Results
The baseline period included 63 eligible adolescents, compared with 47 during the intervention period. HPV related first dose initiation remained at 0% in both periods. Second and third dose scheduling decreased from 1.59% to 0%, and documentation of HPV vaccination education increased from 6.35% to 14.89%. None of the reported comparisons demonstrated statistically significant differences (p > .05).
Conclusion
The intervention did not improve HPV vaccine initiation or follow-up dose scheduling during the eight-week implementation period. Findings identified opportunities to strengthen provider engagement, electronic health record prompt utilization, and follow-up process. Future improvement cycles should emphasize vaccination during appropriate clinical encounters and strengthen follow-up when vaccination is deferred.
Keywords
Human Papillomavirus, HPV vaccination, adolescents, quality improvement, Plan-Do-Study-Act, primary care
Disciplines
Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Nursing | Public Health and Community Nursing
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Nettle, Emily K., "Improving HPV Vaccine Series Completion Rates Among Adolescents in a Primary Care Clinic" (2026). Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects. 23.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/nursing_dnpprojects2/23
Included in
Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Public Health and Community Nursing Commons