Routine bimanual pelvic examinations: practices and beliefs of US obstetrician-gynecologists - 24/01/13
Reprints: George F. Sawaya, MD, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, 3333 California St., Suite 335, San Francisco, CA 94118Résumé |
Objective |
Less-than-annual cervical cancer screening is now recommended for most US women, raising questions about the need for routine annual bimanual pelvic examinations. Little is known about clinicians' bimanual pelvic examination practices, their beliefs about its importance, or the reasoning underlying its performance in asymptomatic women.
Study Design |
We conducted a nationwide survey of US obstetrician-gynecologists. Respondents (n = 521) reported their examination practices and beliefs based on vignettes for asymptomatic women across the lifespan.
Results |
Nearly all obstetrician-gynecologists perform bimanual pelvic examinations in asymptomatic women across the lifespan, although it is viewed as less important for a newly sexually active 18-year-old. Reasons cited as very important included adherence to standard medical practices (45%), patient reassurance (49%), detection of ovarian cancer (47%), and identification of benign uterine (59%) and ovarian (54%) conditions.
Conclusion |
Obstetrician-gynecologists perform bimanual pelvic examinations in the vast majority of asymptomatic women, but the importance placed on the examinations and reasons for conducting them vary.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Key words : bimanual pelvic examination, cancer screening, clinical practice, provider views
Plan
| Funding for this study was provided by a grant from the University of California, San Francisco, Mt. Zion Health Foundation; Dr Henderson's Mentored Research Scientist Development Award in Population Research (K01HD054495); and resources from the National Institutes of Health/National Center for Research Resources/Office of the Director, University of California, San Francisco-Clinical and Translational Science Institute (KL2 RR024130) program. |
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| Dr Henderson had full access to all the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. The contents of this paper do not necessarily represent the official position of the National Institutes of Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
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| The authors report no conflict of interest. |
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| Cite this article as: Henderson JT, Harper CC, Gutin S, et al. Routine bimanual pelvic examinations: practices and beliefs of US obstetrician-gynecologists. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2013;208:109.e1-7. |
Vol 208 - N° 2
P. 109.e1-109.e7 - février 2013 Retour au numéro
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