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- Page navigation anchor for Self testing for pap smearsSelf testing for pap smearsShow More
All of this is very interesting in that your study fails to ask women if they would rather not have their pap smears done by a physician or practitioner. What has become of the use of the woman taking her own specimen for pap smears. IT is my personal feeling that if I were allowed to do this I would feel 100 per cent more comfortable than having to go about it the way I do now. There is absolutely NO need in having a pap...
Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for Doing the right thing.Doing the right thing.Show More
If it is true that having an annual pap smear correlates with annual doctors' visits and therefore not having an annual pap will lead to not having an annual pelvic exam where "screening for ovarian cancer " is done by the exam among other positive non measured benefits and that you increase your risk of having invasive cervical cancer even if only slightly, why start this cascade of negative effects.
Let the...
Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for Towards more rational use of Pap screeningTowards more rational use of Pap screeningShow More
The articles on Pap screening in this issue, and the comments of readers, provide interesting insights into the challenges of providing care that is both evidence-based and patient-centered. Several themes seem to emerge from the observations about patients attitudes towards screening and experiences with abnormal results. The willingness of women to accept less frequent screening is likely to depend on how the information...
Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for Practice level experiencePractice level experienceShow More
I read Drs. Smith, French and Barry's article with interest as my practice has been promoting simple "risk based" Pap smear frequencies for approximately a decade. A quick review of our tracking system for patients I care for indicate that approximately half are on prolonged (either 2 or 3 year) follow up intervals. I routinely counsel against Pap smears for women who no longer have a cervix. The response I typically...
Competing Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for Assessing Patients� Priorities for the Annual ExamAssessing Patients� Priorities for the Annual ExamShow More
To Editor: The data presented by Sawaya et al (1) convincingly show the beneficial outcome of an increased cervical cancer screening interval. Smith (2) indicates that women will not accept an increased screening interval.
We recently assessed by focus groups and self-report surveys New England women’s priorities for the annual examination. Three age groups (<=24, 25-39 and >=40 years) of women (n=121) re...
Competing Interests: None declared.