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Background: New preventive technologies such as vaccines offer insight into psychological, social, and cultural landscapes. Providers have a key role in parents' decisions for vaccinating their children. Yet, perspectives from providers regarding the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, or vaccination in general, are rarely sought Purpose: Our objective in this paper is to understand how the HPV vaccine is perceived by health care providers and the multiple contextual meanings it elicits. Methods: We conducted interviews with 20 health care professionals in Bulgaria about their attitudes and practices related to HPV vaccination and their recommendations for policies. The verbatim-transcribed interviews were analyzed through narrative analysis, with a special focus on language. Results: We illustrate providers' contradictory and contextualized constructions of the vaccine and the narrative strategies they use to manage any uncertainty it elicits. These include being advocates and missionaries for preventive health, confirming their trust in the medical profession and professional organizations, challenging patients' concerns with rational explanations, normalizing the risk of medical innovations, and avoiding the sexual nature of HPV transmission. Conclusions: The introduction of a vaccine to prevent HPV infection, and by implication, possibly cervical and other cancers, created hope, and at the same time, intensified confusion and uncertainty. Providers have been frustrated for years with the rising mortality from cervical cancer in Bulgaria, and their perceived powerlessness in affecting this. HPV vaccination, on the other hand, seems relatively simple and 'taming uncertainty' positions them as instrumental in limiting (or even eliminating) morbidity and mortality in future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TAYLOR G., PAPADOPOULOS I., DUDAU V., MAERTEN M., PELTEGOVA A. & ZIEGLER M. (2011) Intercultural education of nurses and health professionals in Europe (IENE). International Nursing Review, 188-195 This paper presents the results of a needs analysis carried out during a 2-year European Union-funded project titled 'Intercultural education of nurses and health professionals in Europe'. The study aimed to explore the perceived learning and teaching needs of students and practitioners of health-care professions in relation to preparation for working in another European country and/or in a multicultural environment. The participating countries were: Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Romania and the UK. Questionnaires, consisting of open questions, were completed by a total of 118 participants. Data analysis adopted both a priori and inductive approaches. The predetermined constructs of cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural sensitivity and cultural competence were used to structure suggestions for theoretical input and practical activities and experiences. Inductive analysis revealed other emergent themes that underpin all four of these constructs. Practical experiences form a fundamental part of preparation for labour mobility and/or for practice within a multicultural environment. However, health-care practitioners need to be adequately prepared for such experiences and value the opportunity to learn about culture, to explore values and beliefs, and to practise intercultural skills within the safe environment of an educational establishment, facilitated by skilled teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]