ABSTRACT
The overall numbers of precancerous lesions are expected to fall as human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinated women enter the cervical screening programme. Juxtaposed against an increase in referrals from the introduction of primary high-risk HPV screening, colposcopists expect to see a decreasing incidence of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Correct identification of lesions will become more challenging, as the prevalence of high-grade lesions becomes minimal and conventional colposcopy is subject to a lower sensitivity. In this review, we explore the scenarios where adjunct technologies could support colposcopists to manage referrals and diagnose treatable lesions with more confidence.
Subject(s)
Papillomavirus Infections , Uterine Cervical Dysplasia , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms , Colposcopy , Early Detection of Cancer , Female , Humans , Mass Screening , Papillomaviridae , Papillomavirus Infections/diagnosis , Pregnancy , Technology , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/diagnosis , Uterine Cervical Dysplasia/diagnosisABSTRACT
Nursing staff at a specialist hospital unit held five precolposcopy counselling and educational sessions; 47 women attended. We undertook a content analysis of the issues raised by the women. Our analysis confirms that there are significant fears concerning the procedure itself and underlying fears about cervical cancer. Women usually addressed these fears in an indirect manner. We still know little and most women have high anxiety when they receive abnormal Pap smear test results. Educational sessions can be useful in allaying fears and improving knowledge of the colposcopy procedure. We provide examples of how and why sessions are useful.
