HPV Champion Toolkit
| HPV VACCINE IS CANCER PREVENTION |
RESOURCES FOR HPV CHAMPIONS
HPV Provider/Patient Role Playing Scenarios
1) Framing the adolescent immunization series
Taylor B. is an 11 year old female with a history of mild intermittent asthma who is otherwise healthy. She is in
the office today for a well-child check and to have a physical form filled out to start middle school. How can the
pediatrician discuss the vaccines Taylor needs?
Less effective:
Provider: Taylor needs two vaccines that are required for school- the meningitis vaccine and the tetanus, diphtheria
and whooping cough booster. We could also give her the HPV vaccine today.
More effective:
Provider: Today Taylor is due for three vaccines. They will protect her from the cancers caused by HPV, and
infections causing meningitis, whooping cough, tetanus, & diphtheria. What questions do you have for me about
these vaccines?
Parent: I don’t think I have any.
Provider: Ok. The nurse will be in shortly to give the vaccines. Since the HPV vaccine is a series of 3 doses, Taylor will
need to come back in 2 months for the 2nd dose and 6 months for the 3rd dose. We will have the front desk schedule
these appointments with you before you leave.
2) Addressing common parent concerns
A) The HPV vaccine is for girls.
Michael S. is an overweight 12 year old male who comes to the office with his mother in late July for a sports physical
so he can play football. He was last seen when he was 10 for a strep pharyngitis. The pediatrician recommends Tdap,
HPV and meningococcal vaccines, but needs to address mom’s concerns.
Provider: Today Michael is due for three vaccines. They will protect him from the cancers caused by HPV, and
infections causing meningitis, whooping cough, tetanus, & diphtheria. What questions do you have for me about
these vaccines?
Parent: Oh, I don’t think Michael needs the HPV vaccine, he’s a boy.
Less effective:
Provider: It’s true, he can’t get cervical cancer, but he could pass HPV to his future partners.
More effective:
Provider: I understand, many parents initially feel that way. Unfortunately, HPV doesn’t just cause cervical cancer.
It also causes cancers of the mouth, penis and anus and genital warts. I want to make sure Michael is protected from
these diseases.
Parent: Yuck. Ok, let’s give it to him.
APRIL 2015 • PAGE 1 OF 4 • www.aap.org/HPVToolkit • e-mail: [email protected]
HPV Champion Toolkit
| HPV VACCINE IS CANCER PREVENTION |
RESOURCES FOR HPV CHAMPIONS
HPV Provider/Patient Role Playing Scenarios continued
B) Why do we give it at 11 or 12 years?
Tori K. is an 11 year old female with a history of allergic rhinitis. She is in the office today for a well-child check and to
have a physical form filled out to start middle school. The pediatrician recommends Tdap, HPV and meningococcal
vaccines, but needs to address mom’s concerns.
Provider: Today Tori is due for three vaccines. They will protect her from the cancers caused by HPV, and infections
causing meningitis, whooping cough, tetanus, & diphtheria. What questions do you have for me about these
vaccines?
Parent: Oh, I don’t want Tori to get the HPV vaccine.
Less effective:
Provider: Why not?
Parent: I just think she’s too young for it now.
Provider: Well, let’s wait until next year then.
More effective:
Provider: I understand you may have some questions about this vaccine. Do you mind telling me what you are
concerned about?
Parent: I just think she’s too young for it now.
Provider: I think you’re saying she’s too young to be at risk for catching HPV, and I agree! But that’s why she’s at
exactly the right age to be vaccinated. We give the HPV vaccine at 11 or 12 years old because preteens make more
antibodies to the vaccine than older adolescents, and the vaccine works better at this age. I strongly believe in the
importance of this cancer-preventing vaccine, which is why I gave the HPV vaccine to my daughter when she
turned 11.
Parent: Ok, I guess we can do it today.
Provider: Great. I’m glad we will be protecting Tori from these cancers. Since the HPV vaccine is a series of 3 doses,
Tori will need to come back in 2 months for the 2nd dose and 6 months for the 3rd dose. We will have the front desk
schedule these appointments with you before you leave.
APRIL 2015 • PAGE 2 OF 4 • www.aap.org/HPVToolkit • e-mail: [email protected]
HPV Champion Toolkit
| HPV VACCINE IS CANCER PREVENTION |
RESOURCES FOR HPV CHAMPIONS
HPV Provider/Patient Role Playing Scenarios continued
C) My child is not having sex.
Lily S. is a 13 year old female who comes to the office for an urgent visit because she twisted her ankle playing soccer.
The medical assistant points out that she received her Tdap and Meningococcal vaccines but she hasn’t received the
HPV vaccine. How can the pediatrician bring this up?
Less effective:
Provider: It looks like Lily never received the HPV vaccine. Do you want us to give it to her today?
More effective:
Provider: Lily is overdue for the HPV vaccine. We should give it to her today to make sure she’s protected from the
cancers caused by HPV.
Parent: Oh, I don’t think Lily needs the HPV vaccine yet.
Provider: I understand you may have some questions about this vaccine. Do you mind telling me what you are
concerned about?
Parent: Well, she’s just not ready to have that talk yet. She won’t be having sex for a long time, not before she’s married.
Less eff ective:
Provider: I understand. Lily is a young 13, we can wait until she’s a little older.
More effective:
Provider: I agree. Lily is too young to be having sex. But just like the other vaccines we have given her, we vaccinate
children well before they might be exposed to an infection, so they have the best possible chance of protection.
We give the HPV vaccine at 11 or 12 years old because preteens make more antibodies to the vaccine than older
adolescents, and the vaccine works better at this age. We do not need to discuss the specifics of HPV with her today,
that conversation can wait until you are both ready. But we should make sure we protect her from these cancers today.
Parent: Ok.
Alternatively:
Parent: No, not today.
Provider: Ok, this is your decision but I’d like to keep this conversation open. Let’s talk about it again at her next visit.
APRIL 2015 • PAGE 3 OF 4 • www.aap.org/HPVToolkit • e-mail: [email protected]
HPV Champion Toolkit
| HPV VACCINE IS CANCER PREVENTION |
RESOURCES FOR HPV CHAMPIONS
HPV Provider/Patient Role Playing Scenarios continued
D) Is the HPV vaccine safe?
Jordan R. is a healthy 11 year old female. She is in the office today for a well-child check and to have a physical form
filled out to start middle school. The pediatrician recommends Tdap, HPV and meningococcal vaccines, but needs to
address mom’s concerns.
Provider: Today Jordan is due for three vaccines. They will protect her from the cancers caused by HPV, and
infections causing meningitis, whooping cough, tetanus, & diphtheria. What questions do you have for me about
these vaccines?
Parent: Oh, I don’t want Jordan to get the HPV vaccine; I don’t think it’s safe.
One response:
Provider: I’ve heard about those rumors too. I know you want to do everything you can to keep
Jordan safe, and so do I. The HPV vaccine has been carefully studied by medical and scientific experts and has been
shown to be very effective and very safe. I’ve been giving the vaccine since 2006, and I don’t have any concerns about
vaccine safety. That’s why I’m comfortable giving it to Jordan today.
For a parent who would like a more specific response:
Provider: The HPV vaccine has been carefully studied in 80 countries since 2006 and has been shown to be very
effective and very safe. Since 2006, over 60 million doses of HPV vaccine have been distributed in the U.S., and in the
years of HPV vaccine safety studies and monitoring, no serious safety concerns have been identified.
APRIL 2015 • PAGE 4 OF 4 • www.aap.org/HPVToolkit • e-mail: [email protected]