Comparing Patient Self-Collection and Provider-Collected Pap Smears to Improve Cervical Cancer Screening in Rural Alabama

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to find out if a self-administered Pap smear test by the patient is as accurate as the traditional Pap smear performed by a healthcare provider. The study involves women aged 21 to 65 who need routine cervical cancer screening, focusing on improving screening rates in rural Alabama. It is an interventional study sponsored by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, comparing two methods of Pap smear collection. Participants will perform a self-collected Pap smear on the day of their clinical examination, followed by a traditional Pap smear collected by a licensed healthcare provider such as a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. Both samples will be labeled separately and sent to a clinical laboratory for blinded analysis to compare their accuracy. During the study, participants will have specimens collected during a single clinical visit. The laboratory will analyze both the self-collected and provider-collected samples without knowing which is which. Results will be shared with participants through usual clinical practice. The primary outcome measured is the agreement and accuracy between the self-collected Pap smear and the traditional Pap smear within 14 days after collection.

Self-Collection of the Pap Smear as Agency: A Novel Way to Improve Refractory Low Cervical Cancer Screening Rates in Rural Alabama