Colposcopy: sensory information for client education

To determine women's sensory experiences during colposcopy and to describe a model for developing sensory information.

Four-stage survey design, which included standardizing the procedure, discovering the experience, validating the experience, and writing the message.

Ambulatory clinics in a large teaching hospital in New Brunswick, Canada.

Sixty women undergoing colposcopy.

A valid sensory information message for colposcopy was documented. A model for developing sensory information was derived from a critical appraisal of the four-stage process. The merits of validation interviews were reinforced.

The step-by-step approach outlined in the developmental model provides nurses with precise guidelines for developing other sensory messages. Nurses using a prepared message, such as that provided for colposcopy, need to ensure that it is accurate for their practice setting.