Acceptability of a self-sampling technique to collect vaginal smears for gram stain diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis.
To diagnose asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis (BV), self-sampled vaginal smears were collected during a study of risk factors for preterm birth in African American women. More than 90% of those women who were willing to participate in the interview portion of the study were also willing to provide a self-sampled vaginal smear. The smears are an acceptable and efficient way of detecting BV in an urban minority population.
SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Box 43, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA. elizabeth.boskey@downstate.edu
Elizabeth R
ER
Boskey
Shelly A
SA
Atherly-Trim
Patricia J
PJ
O'Campo
Donna M
DM
Strobino
Dawn P
DP
Misra
P
P
Misra
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008396:Maryland; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012646:Self Administration; D013997:Time Factors; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000592:standards*; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D016387:Women's Health