What Does Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine Mean to University Hospital Nurses?

Aim: In this study, determining professional knowledge and practice of nurses working in hospitals of a university about cervix cancer and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine, and their perceptions towards HPV vaccine was aimed. Material and Methods: The population of this descriptive comparative study was composed of 528 woman nurses who were working in three hospitals. The study was completed with the participation of 246 nurses (%46.5). The data of the study were obtained via a questionnaire including 33 questions. In data analysis, the percentage distributions, mean and tendency measures were calculated and the differences between variables were analyzed by Chi-square test, Mann Whitney-U test and Kruskal Wallis test. Results: Of the participant nurses, 89.9% didn’t know the side effects of HPV vaccine, 76.2% didn’t know the number of doses, 83.5% didn’t know the scheme of dose and 72.5% didn’t know the route of administration. Of the nurses, 73.5% were uncertain or had negative perceptions about having vaccine. Of the nurses, 6.5% had provided consultation about HPV vaccine and 5.7% administered HPV vaccination at least once. Conclusion: Developing nurses’ knowledge and practices towards HPV vaccine by providing necessary information and counsulting education towards the vaccine during in-service trainings in hospitals, supporting more positive opinions towards the vaccine may contribute better understanding towards the importance of the vaccine and reducing frequency of cervix cancer in society.