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The accuracy of women performing vaginal pH self-testing.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: The accuracy of women performing vaginal pH self-testing.
Authors: Kulp JL (AUTHOR), Chaudhry S (AUTHOR), Wiita B (AUTHOR), Bachmann G (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Women's Health (15409996). May2008, Vol. 17 Issue 4, p523-526. 4p.
Subjects: Women's health, Hospital care, Antifungal agents, Anti-infective agents, Fungicides, Mold control, Diagnosis of female reproductive organ diseases, Vaginal smears, Exfoliative cytology
Abstract: Objective: To determine if women could measure their vaginal pH as accurately as could physicians. Methods: Each participant measured her vaginal pH using a swab, completed a survey, and then was seen by her physician, who also performed a vaginal pH test. The physician did not have access to the patient's pH reading; only the study coordinator recorded patient results. Accuracy of patient measurements compared with physician results was analyzed by the kappa statistic. Results: A total of 161 women were enrolled in the study. The average difference between the patients' pH readings and the physicians' readings was <0.5. Overall, 85% of the patients' readings were in agreement with the physicians' readings, and the kappa statistic was 0.6. Conclusions: Study participants could accurately measure vaginal pH through self-testing. Vaginal pH self-testing may be a convenient tool to help women determine whether they should use an over-the-counter (OTC) antifungal medication or go to a physician for diagnostic workup [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Women's Health (15409996) is the property of Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
Description
Abstract:Objective: To determine if women could measure their vaginal pH as accurately as could physicians. Methods: Each participant measured her vaginal pH using a swab, completed a survey, and then was seen by her physician, who also performed a vaginal pH test. The physician did not have access to the patient's pH reading; only the study coordinator recorded patient results. Accuracy of patient measurements compared with physician results was analyzed by the kappa statistic. Results: A total of 161 women were enrolled in the study. The average difference between the patients' pH readings and the physicians' readings was <0.5. Overall, 85% of the patients' readings were in agreement with the physicians' readings, and the kappa statistic was 0.6. Conclusions: Study participants could accurately measure vaginal pH through self-testing. Vaginal pH self-testing may be a convenient tool to help women determine whether they should use an over-the-counter (OTC) antifungal medication or go to a physician for diagnostic workup [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:15409996
DOI:10.1089/jwh.2007.0446