Diagnosing women with HPV: the impact of diagnosis disclosure methods

Little data exists on women's HPV diagnosis encounters. This research focuses on impacts of the communicative medium used to inform women of their HPV status. We conducted a qualitative study to identify the mediums used to communicate HPV diagnoses and the impact of each medium on the diagnosis experience.

Twenty-five women with HPV completed semi-structured interviews, which we recorded and transcribed. We relied on grounded theory techniques in both data collection and analysis.

There are three primary mediums health care providers use to inform women of their HPV diagnosis: phone calls, mailed letters/email, and face-to-face interactions. Implications regarding each medium are identified and discussed.

There are drawbacks associated with the use of each medium that healthcare practitioners should be aware of and seek to avoid.

Healthcare providers can utilize descriptions of diagnosis encounters and the recommendations accompanying them to understand and modify ways they choose to inform individuals of an HPV diagnosis.