Strengths and Limitations
This study should be considered in light of its limitations. First,
since this was a pilot study to evaluate the interest and acceptability
of using self-collection methods before rolling out the large screening
program, the sample size was small. Second, it is possible that there
might be information bias as the acceptability information may be
influenced by the fact that the women were asked to respond to the
survey by an interviewer. Despite these limitations, this was one of the
first studies to examine the feasibility and acceptability of using
self-collection techniques in a community based setting in a rural area
of India. We used standardized tests to screen for HPV DNA and all study
staff were trained to administer the surveys in a non-judgmental manner.
Based on the findings from this study, PHRII has used self-collected
swabs as one of the main methods for specimen collection in all their
subsequent community studies of cervical cancer screening in rural
Mysore, India. This study demonstrated that self-collected swabs were
preferred by a large number of women, especially when the instructions
on collection were provided in a user friendly, non-judgmental manner.