Patient Knowledge of Hysterectomy and Pap Screening After Minimally Invasive Hysterectomy [50]. (May 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mattingly, Marlena Nicole; Juran, Rupal Shroff; Su, Isaac; Ebinger, Jessica Elizabeth; Tucker-Edmonds, Brownsyne
• Is Part Of: Obstetrics and gynecology. Volume 125(2015)Supplement 1
• Publication Date: 2015-05
• Subjects: Obstetrics -- Periodicals; Gynecology -- Periodicals; 618
• DOI: 10.1097/01.AOG.0000465334.54958.67
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0029-7844

Abstract

Abstract : INTRODUCTION: It is unclear whether patients who have undergone supracervical hysterectomy understand their need for continued cervical cancer screening. The objectives of this study were to determine whether women know their screening requirements after hysterectomy and to evaluate patients' understanding of hysterectomy terminology and cervical cancer screening. METHODS: A 24-item questionnaire was administered to 413 women sampled from a cohort of 633 patients who had undergone either laparoscopic or vaginal hysterectomy with benign pathology between January 2008 and January 2012. Question content included knowledge about hysterectomy-related anatomy and terminology, Pap tests and human papillomavirus (HPV), approach to the patient's hysterectomy, and demographic information. RESULTS: Of the 413 women contacted, 190 (46%) agreed to participate. The majority of respondents were Caucasian (61%), between the ages of 41 and 60 (87%), and had a college education (66%). Fifty-nine percent of respondents knew that a Pap test screens for cervical cancer, and 40% knew that HPV is related to cervical cancer. Eighty-four percent understood that Pap screening is necessary if a woman still has a cervix after hysterectomy, but only 67% correctly identified whether their cervix had been removed and their own need for future cervical cancer screening. Caucasian race and higher income were found to be significant predictors of knowledge. CONCLUSION: Knowledge regarding Pap tests, HPV, and implications of a supracervical hysterectomy is lacking, even among a highly educated, posthysterectomy population. Thus, tools are needed to improve perioperative counseling regarding the type of hysterectomy performed and indications for future cervical cancer screening.