Clinician acceptability of self-collected human papillomavirus swabs as a primary cervical cancer screening method

To determine knowledge and acceptability of and opinions about human papillomavirus (HPV) self-screening as an alternative to Papanicolaou testing among Canadian primary care providers (PCPs: family physicians and nurse practitioners) and obstetrician-gynecologists (OB-GYNs).

Descriptive, cross-sectional, anonymous, online pilot survey.

Two academic teaching hospitals in downtown Toronto, Ont.

Staff physicians and nurse practitioners in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Women's College Hospital and St Michael's Hospital.

Recommended patient groups for, potential advantages and disadvantages of, and likelihood of recommending HPV self-sampling for cervical cancer screening.

The overall response rate was 30.9%. More than three-quarters of survey respondents were female PCPs. Slightly more than half of clinicians had poor knowledge of HPV self-sampling. However, more than three-quarters would recommend it if there were adequate collection of cervical samples, high patient acceptability, and high sensitivity (almost 100% of respondents), followed by high specificity and cost-effectiveness (more than 80% of respondents). Primary care practitioners were more likely than OB-GYNs to agree that HPV self-sampling made screening easier and less embarrassing for patients. Although not statistically significant, OB-GYNs tended to be more concerned than PCPs were about patients failing to follow up on abnormal HPV results and missed opportunities to address other health issues.

Although knowledge of HPV self-sampling for cervical screening was poor, it was generally acceptable to clinicians if certain screening test conditions were met. However, the potential for missed opportunities to visualize pathology and address other health concerns were raised. These and other clinical practice and health systems issues must be addressed before broad implementation of HPV self-sampling in Canada.