Physicians’ prevalence of recommending HPV vaccine for adolescent males aged between 11 and 26
Constructing a conceptual framework for the study to investigate the prevalence of physicians to recommend HPV vaccines for males aged between 11 and 26 will require the identification of variables. These include variables that will be dependent on other variables and those that will be independent. In most occasions, independent variables are those that exist prior to a study while dependent variables are met while constructing the literature review of a research or study. It is important to note that conceptual frameworks are personal opinions that may or may not be provable through any means suitable for the purposes of the study (Herzog, Huh, Downs, Smith, & Monk, 2008; Mertler, & Vannatta, 2005; U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group, 2006; Shulman, 1999; Hoover, Carfioli, & Moench, 2000).
The study to investigate the prevalence of physicians to recommend HPV vaccines for males aged between 11 and 26 is guided by a number of factors. These include state policy, healthcare providers, and the organizations where healthcare providers work. The study will also depend on the factors that influence the ability of adolescent males aged between 11 and 26 to access or utilize healthcare which include physicians’ availability and accessibility, attitude and beliefs, knowledge and the availability of the boys.
It is important to note that this study of practitioners’ likelihood of recommending HPV vaccine also depends on the public health objectives instituted by the federal government. These are the independent variables put in place before the inception of the study and they include:
- The objective to teach and empower the masses on matters concerning health
- The objective to encourage community partnerships with the aim of identifying and solving health problems
- The objective to assure the public of a competent public healthcare system
- The objective to assess the helpfulness, quality and accessibility of healthcare services to the masses especially adolescent males aged between 11 and 26
- The objective to come up with new innovative solutions to curb health-related problems
A new technology like HPV vaccine has a life cycle and has to undergo every stage in the cycle in order to be absorbed in the market. This life cycle includes five stages which include:
- The investigation phase
- The promotion phase
- The acceptance and utilization phase
- The decline phase
- The phase of obsolescence
It is worth noting that the stages that are relevant to the purpose of this study are the first three stages of the life cycle. Owing to the fact that this study is meant to investigate the prevalence of physicians to recommend HPV vaccines for males aged between 11 and 26, it involves the process of decision-making. The decision-making process is entirely upon the medical practitioners. As a result, the decision-making theory of planned behavior is one of the most significant variables for this study (Kahn, Zimet, Bernstein, Riedesel, Dongmei, Huang, Rosenthal, 2005; U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group, 2006; Oleske, 2001; Mertler, & Vannatta, 2005).
References
Herzog, T. J., Huh, W. K., Downs, L. S., Smith, J. S., & Monk, B. J. (2008). Initial lessons learned in HPV vaccination. Gynecologic Oncology, 109, S4-S11.
Hoover, D. R., Carfioli, B., & Moench, E.A. (2000). Attitudes of adolescent/young adult women toward human papillomavirus vaccination and clinical trials. Health Care for Women International, 21, 375-391.
Hoover, D. R., Carfioli, B., & Moench, E.A. (2000). Attitudes of adolescent/young adult women toward human papillomavirus vaccination and clinical trials. Health Care for Women International, 21, 375-391.
Kahn, J. A., Zimet, G. D., Bernstein, D. I., Riedesel, J. M., Dongmei, L., Huang, B., Rosenthal, S. (2005). Pediatricians' intention to administer human papillomavirus vaccine: The role of practice characteristics, knowledge, and attitudes. Journal of Adolescent Health, 37, 502-510.
Mertler, C.A. & Vannatta, R.A. (2005). Advanced and multivariate statistical methods: Practical Application and Interpretation (3rded.). California: Pyrczak Publishing.
National Association of Social Workers (1987). NASW standards for social work in health care settings. Washington, DC: NASW Press.
Oleske, D.M. (2001). Epidemiology and the delivery of health care services: Methods and applications (2nded.). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.
Shulman, L. (1999). The skills of helping individuals, families, groups, and communities (4thed.). Itasca, IL: F.E. Peacock.
U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. (2006). United States cancer statistics: 2003 incidence and mortality. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control.
