Incomplete Records as a Leading Cause of Missed Opportunity for Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Initiation in a Safety Net Health System

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to categorize reasons behind missed opportunities for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine initiation in an under-resourced population and to identify associated patient and clinic characteristics. METHODS: Manual chart review was performed for patients aged 11 to 18 years who visited a primary care clinic in a health system in Texas, USA between 06/01/18 and 08/31/18 and were due for an initial HPV vaccine dose but did not receive it. Reasons for HPV vaccine noninitiation were categorized as follows: incomplete immunization record, no documentation of discussion (no documentation that the HPV vaccine was offered or ordered), refusal, staff/provider error, and medical. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with each category. RESULTS: Of 4467 adolescents seen in the study period, 575 (12.9%) were due for the first dose of HPV vaccine but did not receive it. The most common reason for noninitiation was incomplete immunization record (37%), followed by no documentation of discussion (24%), refusal (20%), staff/provider error (15%), and medical (4%). The highest odds of incomplete immunization were among older adolescents. The highest odds of no documentation of discussion were during sick visits. The highest odds of staff/provider error were among patients with commercial insurance. The lowest odds of refusal were in patients with county/indigent insurance. CONCLUSIONS: The most common reason for missed opportunity visits for HPV vaccine initiation was lack of adequate immunization records. Our study highlights the importance of immunization record access and bidirectional reporting as important targets for future interventions.