Confusion and anxiety in between abnormal cervical cancer screening results and colposcopy: "The land of the unknown".

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Attendance to colposcopy after abnormal cervical cancer screening is essential to cervical cancer prevention. This qualitative study explored patients' understanding of screening results, their experiences of the time leading up to the colposcopy appointment, and colposcopy.

Methods

We recruited women referred for colposcopy from two urban practices in an academic health system. Individual interviews (N = 15) with participants were conducted after colposcopy appointments about their cervical cancer screening histories, current results, and colposcopy experiences. A team analyzed and summarized interviews and coded transcripts in Atlas.ti.

Results

We found that most women were confused about their screening results, did not know what a colposcopy was before b

SUBMITTER: Kohler RE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10527466 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature