Development of a community pharmacy human papillomavirus vaccine program for underinsured university students along the United States/Mexico border

Objective: To describe the development and implementation of a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine patient assistance program (PAP) for university students, and to acquire information on the number who accessed the program and completed the series. Setting: University of Texas at El Paso University Student Health Clinic Pharmacy, Fall 2011-Spring 2014. Practice description: A community pharmacy located within the university student health clinic providing services to an underinsured student population. Practice innovation: Existing evidence shows the benefit of using PAP in community pharmacies but is nonspecific regarding the use of PAP for vaccines in an uninsured and underinsured Hispanic student population. The implementation of this unique HPV vaccine program in a community setting aims to increase awareness, access, and rates. Main outcome measures: Primary measures included results from a needs-assessment questionnaire that were used to implement the HPV vaccine program. After implementation, utilization data were collected on the number of students who qualified and enrolled in the HPV PAP and the number of students who completed the HPV series. Results: The preliminary data from a needs assessment indicated that a majority (72.1%, n = 80) of students did not understand how HPV is transmitted. A total of 89 students qualified for PAP. The majority were women (81%). A total of 71 students (79.8%) received their second dose and 43 (48.3%) completed the series. Conclusion: Although pharmacists continue to provide vaccine services, minorities such as the Hispanic population continue to be underimmunized. Students may not be taking the proper precautions to prevent the acquisition of HPV. For these reasons services such as this HPV vaccine program are warranted. Pharmacists need to continue to educate and advocate on the importance of vaccines and how they prevent disease.