摘要
目的:研究青年妇女对宫颈涂片检查的认识。采用自我管理调查对2002年6月10日至8月9日期间在UMass纪念医院成人门诊接受治疗的14岁以上的女性患者(必要时检查其母亲)进行研究。
Objective: To learn more about young women's understanding of the term Pap smear. Design: Self-administered survey. Setting. UMass Memorial Adolescent Clinic. Participants: Female patients 14 years or older (and their mothers when available) who visited the clinic between June 10 and August 9, 2002. Main Outcome Measures: Accuracy of participants' written definition for the term Pap smear and knowledge that a 'Pap smear is a test for cervical cancer and not synonymous with a pelvic examination, sexually transmitted disease test, pregnancy test, or checkup. Results: Three (2.7%) of the 111 adolescent participants provided an accurate definition of the term Pap smear. Sixty-eight percent mistakenly believed that a Pap smear was the same as a pelvic examination. Age, history of sexual intercourse, and having had a Pap smear correlated with a better Pap smear definition rating. Conclusions: Remarkably few patients who participated in this study understood the meaning of the term Pap smear. Confusion about gynecologic terms may hinder efforts to enhance compliance with sexually transmitted disease and cervical cancer screening. Educational initiatives are needed to improve young people's comprehension and to prevent misunderstandings about gynecologic care and miscommunication between patients and their health care providers.
