Gynecological patients learning to perform the pelvic examination: a win-win concept

This study explored gynecological patient perceptions of previous pelvic examinations (PE), a learning session about PE prior to a scheduled PE consultation, and the impact of the learning session on the PE during the consultation.

Twelve informants were purposefully sampled from women with scheduled gynecologist appointments at a Swedish University Hospital. The learning session preceded the consultation and provided information on female genital anatomy and the PE, and the informant performed a PE on a mannequin. Individual qualitative interviews followed the consultation. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a constant comparative analysis to acquire a deeper understanding of the women's experiences of the learning session and the subsequent PE.

Three categories were identified in the analysis: 'Harmonizing the bad with the good' category, which primarily concerned the informants' previous experiences of the PE. 'Gaining self-confidence through knowledge', which depicted the informants' experiences of the learning session. 'Mental preparation enables bodily recapture', which was the summarizing category of informant experiences of the scheduled PE. The core category, 'active involvement triggers empowerment', was created from the categories, and constitutes the core of the empirical material.

The informants' active participation during the learning session increased their knowledge, generated self-confidence, triggered an empowering process, and promoted interaction with the examiner during their subsequent PE.