Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

DOI

10.3390/vaccines14020116

Publication Title

Vaccines

Volume

14

Issue

2

Pages

116

Abstract

Background/Objectives: HPV vaccination is safe, effective, and recommended at ages 11–12, yet uptake remains suboptimal. Serious video games may offer an innovative strategy to deliver brief, engaging education during clinic visits. This qualitative paper, embedded within a mixed-methods study, examined adolescents’, parents’, and healthcare providers’ (HCPs’) perceptions of the acceptability, usability, and perceived clinical applicability of HPV Detective, a tablet-based digital game designed to provide HPV-related education to parent–child dyads during pediatric clinic wait times. Methods: Eight adolescent–parent dyads (N = 16) and three HCPs from university-affiliated pediatric clinics participated in 30–60-min semi-structured Zoom interviews. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed by two coders, with discrepancies resolved by consensus and reviewed by a third researcher. Results: Participants identified five key dyadic themes and four HCP themes. Adolescents described the gameplay as intuitive and enjoyable, highlighting interactive challenges and realistic avatars. Parents valued the clarity of HPV information and noted that the game helped initiate health-related conversations. Both adolescents and parents suggested enhancements including voice narration and greater customization and agreed that the game was well suited for 10–15-min clinic wait times, with text messaging preferred for follow-up. HCPs emphasized challenges such as parental hesitancy and competing clinical demands and viewed the game as a feasible adjunct to support vaccine-related discussions. Conclusions: Findings suggest the acceptability, usability, and perceived clinical applicability of a brief, clinic-based digital game for HPV-related education and engagement among adolescents and their parents.

Rights

© 2026 by the authors.

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License.

Data Availability

Article states: "De-identified qualitative interview data are archived in OSF and available upon reasonable request. Public release will occur after completion of the full NIH-funded project and associated documentation."

Original Publication Citation

Reifsnider, E., Subedi, S., Ghonaim, N., Whaley, M., & Chen, A. C. (2026). Acceptability, usability, and clinical integration of a clinic-based digital game for HPV education: Qualitative perspectives from adolescents, parents, and healthcare providers. Vaccines, 14(2), Article 116. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines14020116

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