Podcast 686: Vaginal Self Swabs

Contributor: Jared Scott, MD

Educational Pearls:

• Recent study evaluated vaginal self swab testing for STIs to determine if they are equally sensitive to provider-obtained swab
• 515 patients consented to both tests and 95% agreement was found between the two methods of obtaining samples
• 75% of participants who preferred this over the pelvic exam, although some patients were concerned they did not perform the self swab correctly
• Consider vaginal self swab with proper coaching as an option for patients

References

Chinnock B, Yore M, Mason J, et al. Self-obtained vaginal swabs are not inferior to provider-performed endocervical sampling for emergency department diagnosis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis [published online ahead of print, 2021 Jan 18]. Acad Emerg Med. 2021;10.1111/acem.14213. doi:10.1111/acem.14213

Summarized by John Spartz, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD

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