Document Type
DNP Project
Department
School of Nursing
Date of Degree
Spring 2019
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Primary Advisor
Cathie E. Guzzetta, PhD, RN, FAAN; Cathleen A. McKnight, DNP, MSN, FNP-C, RN; Qiuping (Pearl) Zhou, PhD, RN
Abstract
Background: The tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis, meningococcal, and human papillomavirus vaccines have been recommended for adolescents since 2005. Retail health clinics can increase the delivery of vaccinations by reaching patients outside the traditional healthcare system.
Objectives: To measure parental attitudes of adolescent vaccinations utilizing the Vaccine Confidence Scale (VCS) and assess reasons parents decided to vaccinate or not. Attitudes were compared to previous studies. Our long-term purpose was to develop targeted interventions to increase adolescent vaccinations.
Methodology: A descriptive survey design measured the parental attitudes of adolescent vaccinations from total VCS scores and subscale scores of benefits, harms, and trust. A qualitative question assessed the reasons parents decided to vaccinate or not through the constant comparative technique.
Results: 93 parents responded to the survey. The total mean VCS score was 7.56 + 1.86 with subscale scores of 7.78 + 2.22 for benefits, 5.89 + 2.47 harms, and 8.43 + 2.08 trust. Our total, benefit, and trust scores were slightly lower with a higher harm subscale score than national averages. The majority of parents (n=25, 58.14%) vaccinated to prevent disease while others (n=5, 11.63%) did not vaccinate due to lack of knowledge.
Conclusions: Study findings reflected our local differences in parental attitudes of adolescent vaccination compared to national studies with lower total, benefit, and trust scores and higher harm score. We recommend addressing parental concerns with provider education, engaging local schools, screening for vaccinations, providing evidence-based information, and utilizing the state’s immunization registry to increase adolescent vaccination rates in our community.
Copyright Notice
© 2019 Patrick William Denning. All rights reserved.
Recommended Citation
Denning, P. W. (2019). Analysis of Parental Attitudes of Adolescent Vaccinations in the Retail Health Care Setting. , (). Retrieved from https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/son_dnp/52
Open Access
1
