Helping doctors recommend the HPV vaccine more effectively
PCOM2 - The Physician Communication Intervention, Version 2.0
It teaches doctors a two-step way to recommend the HPV vaccine to parents of 11–12 year-olds to help more adolescents start the vaccine series.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Colorado Denver NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Aurora, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11241110 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project trains pediatric and primary care providers to use a two-step recommendation: begin with a confident, presumptive statement like “Let’s get the HPV vaccine today,” and then use brief motivational interviewing to address parental hesitancy if needed. The team delivers training and coaching in real clinic settings so providers can practice during normal visits. They track how many 11–12 year-olds begin the HPV vaccine series and whether the approach can be sustained in busy clinics. This version builds on a prior large trial that increased vaccination starts by about 8 percentage points.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are parents and 11–12 year-old adolescents receiving care at participating pediatric or family medicine clinics.
Not a fit: People who are already up-to-date on HPV vaccination, older than the adolescent vaccination window, or who do not attend participating clinics are unlikely to get direct benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, more adolescents would start the HPV vaccine series, reducing future HPV-related cancers.
How similar studies have performed: An earlier large cluster-randomized trial of the original PCOM intervention raised HPV vaccine initiation by about 8 percentage points, so this approach has prior evidence of benefit.
Where this research is happening
Aurora, UNITED STATES
- University of Colorado Denver — Aurora, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: O'leary, Sean T — University of Colorado Denver
- Study coordinator: O'leary, Sean T
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.