Training in the diagnosis and management of vulvovaginal diseases

To investigate the training of clinical members of the British Society for the Study of Vulvo-vaginal Diseases (BSSVD) and International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease (ISSVD) and report how the future training in this subspecialty could be improved.

The research tool was a 23-stem questionnaire addressing 3 key domains: current clinical practice, past training experiences and the improvement of future training in vulvar disorders. Particular emphasis was given to how competency in vulvar diseases should be determined and whether there should be a generic vulvar curriculum.

The response rates were 25% (42/169) from members of the ISSVD, 59% (100/168) from members of the BSSVD and 5% (16/327) from those who are members of both organizations. The overall response rate was 38% (127/337). Eighty percent (101/127) practiced in the U.K. Overall, 37/127 (29%) of the respondents admitted to being self-taught. One hundred eleven of 127 (87%) respondents were in favor of a generic vulvar curriculum, 95/127 (75%) respondents suggested that vulvar disease training should be assessed, and 106/127 (83.5%) of the respondents supported an ISSVD/ BSSVD postgraduate training fellowship. This study was the first to record the suboptimal teaching and training experiences of practitioners with an interest in vulvar disorders. The respondents in the diagnosis were in favor of improving training in the future.