Adolescent girls' understanding of Papanicolaou smear results.
OBJECTIVE
Human papillomavirus (HPV) urogenital infections are common in sexually active adolescents. Previous research has indicated that adolescent girls do not reliably report histories of HPV infection. This study examined whether asking an adolescent girl if she had ever had an abnormal Papanicolaou (PAP) smear was a good screening question for evidence of HPV urogenital infection.


METHODS
The responses to the question about abnormal PAP smears, were compared with their charts for documented abnormal PAP smear, HPV infection, and sexually transmitted infection.


METHODS
An urban, hospital-based adolescent clinic.


METHODS
Fifty adolescent girls (mean age, 14.8 years).


METHODS
Degree of agreement (kappa statistic).


RESULTS
Using a kappa statistic, reported history of an abnormal PAP smear had "fair" agreement with documented dysplasia on PAP smear and "moderate" agreement with documented HPV infection (i.e., either condyloma on PAP smear or genital warts noted on examination). This reported history of an abnormal PAP smear agreed better with documented HPV infection than with documented dysplasia on PAP smear.


CONCLUSIONS
There appears to be considerable confusion among adolescent girls regarding their PAP smear results. Care providers need to be sensitive to this when they are collecting historical information and when they are diagnosing HPV infection or an abnormal PAP smear.
Biro
F M
FM
Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Ohio 45229, USA.
Rosenthal
S L
SL
Rymarquis
L
L
Kollar
L M
LM
Hillard
P J
PJ
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008487:Medical History Taking; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D027383:Papillomaviridae; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014626:Vaginal Smears