Balancing Between Being Proactive and Neutral: School Nurses’ Experiences of Offering Human Papilloma Virus Vaccination to Girls

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of Swedish school nurses when they offered the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination to girls aged 10–12 years. Four focus groups with a total of 17 school nurses were conducted and analyzed using inductive content analysis. The results showed that the school nurses were balancing between keeping a neutral role and the need to increase the uptake of the HPV vaccination. They described the consent forms and information that they gave the girls and their parents to help them make an informed decision about the vaccination. There were also ethical and moral dilemmas that arose with regard to the HPV vaccinations. Our findings demonstrate the need to provide school nurses with clear guidelines and support, so they can play an active role in interacting with the girls and their parents when they offer the HPV vaccination.