Testing
The Digene HC2 NA Collection Device was used for both self- and physician-collected sampling. The self-collected and clinician-collected swabs were transported to and tested at the PHRII laboratory. Both the swabs were tested on the digene Hybrid Capture 2 HPV DNA Test, Qiagen platform that used an RNA probe cocktail that detects 13 high-risk HPV types (16/18/31/33/35/39/45/51/52/56/ 58/59/68). To prevent false negatives caused by gene deletions, the digene HC2 HPV DNA Test uses full genome RNA probes complementary to HPV DNA, specific antibodies, signal amplification, and chemiluminescent detection. Women were given verbal and pictorial instructions prior to testing to use a cervical brush, which was then swirled and stored in the PreservCyt Solution.