Human papillomavirus dose reminder preferences among parents from a diverse clinical sample: a qualitative study

Reminders are an important method for encouraging patients to return for follow-up visits, such as for successive doses of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. However, patients may have preferences for different types of reminders. This study examined which reminder methods parents of pediatric patients found most useful and their thoughts on how the reminders helped them to complete their children’s HPV vaccine series. This qualitative study was conducted on a purposively sampled group of parents who participated in a multi-level intervention intended to improve uptake and completion of the HPV vaccine series. Parents who agreed to participate were interviewed by phone using semi-structured interviews about their satisfaction with different program components, including reminders they received. Interviews were conducted between May 26, 2016 and October 18, 2017. Thematic analyses of data were conducted using NVivo software. Among 269 program participants invited to participate in the interviews, 157 agreed (58.4%) and 89 were successfully interviewed (33.1%). Participants thought that reminders were effective at helping them return for follow-up visits to ensure their children received all recommended HPV vaccine doses. Although most parents preferred texts, many also favored other reminder methods by themselves or in combination with texts. Parents suggested that the reminders indicate the purpose of the appointment and for which child. Reminders are an important part of a multi-component intervention that aims to increase completion of the HPV vaccine series. Program enrollees prefer different types of reminders, so offering several options may improve returns for follow-up doses.