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Table 4 Themes from open-ended question: What are your views on HPV vaccination? (N = 113)

From: Will they lead by example? Assessment of vaccination rates and attitudes to human papilloma virus in millennial medical students

Theme

Frequency

n (%)a

Representative quotes

Benefits of vaccination

65 (57.5)

“From a public health stand point I feel everyone in the susceptible age range should get the HPV series because it really doesn’t harm anything, but it can be an effective way to prevent the spread of a preventable disease. It is harder to change society behavior than to arm people against the disease.”

Emphasis on offering vaccine to boys and girls

17 (15.0)

“promoting vaccination of males is essential. Many people, even fellow medical students, were unaware that males could and should receive the vaccination. I believe its so important because there is no test for men to get to know if they have HPV, and could unknowingly pass it on to many partners without ever finding out.”

“Benefits outweigh the risks and it’s important for males to be vaccinated as well given the risk of infecting their partners.”

Moral implications associated with the HPV vaccine

15 (13.3)

“Though I would recommend my patients to receive the vaccine, I do not think it would be ethically wise to force it upon them”

“… vaccine is geared to protection of HPV as it is acquired sexually, therefore imposing this would assume that the patient is or will be sexually active in the near future. This may interfere with their personal and spiritual beliefs and thus making such assumptions would be inappropriate….”

“I really think HPV and all vaccinations should be strongly encouraged but I am on the fence about mandating them. I think mandates make people hostile and more likely to resist and feel forced into decisions that they aren’t comfortable with. From a public health perspective I think getting folks on board with HPV vaccination is a big deal, especially since now we are seeing other cancers (not just cervical) related to it..”.

Need for counseling skills

8 (7.1)

“I think we need to educate providers about the best ways to provide the information to not make it sound like an STD vaccine.”

“When I got it Gardasil had just come out and then I moved so I never got the third one; I wish my doctor had counseled me further (I don’t remember being counseled, just told by her to get it)”

Need for education

10 (8.8)

“To be honest, I never knew much about HPV vaccinations or the recommendations for it, just that it existed.”

“Do not know enough about it to really have a view!”

  1. a51% of reflections contained multiple themes (range 2–3)