Table 3: Likelihood of referring for colposcopic assessment according to professional role and practice location of participants.

 

Variable

Professional role, N (%)

Practice location, N (%)

GP

Pap nursec

p-value

Metropolitan

Rural

p-value

Currently largely refers to colposcopy for visible cervical abnormalities, post coital bleeding, intermenstrual or postmenopausal bleeding because; > 4d

 

-Isn’t confident in visually distinguishing a normal from an abnormal cervix

 -NHMRC guidelines recommend it

-For medicolegal reasons

 

 

 

 

 

34 (42.0)

 

50 (61.7)

42 (51.2)

 

 

 

 

 

27 (40.3)

 

44 (66.7)

23 (34.9)

 

 

 

 

 

0.837

 

0.535

0.046

 

 

 

 

 

43 (46.7)

 

62 (68.1)

47 (50.5)

 

 

 

 

 

18 (32.1)

 

32 (57.1)

18 (32.7)

 

 

 

 

 

0.080

 

0.178

0.035

Would refer for colposcopic assessment even if a high risk HPV test were negative for; > 4d

 

-Visible cervical abnormalities

-Post coital bleeding

-Intermenstrual/ postmenopausal bleeding

 

 

 

75 (91.5)

65 (79.3)

57 (69.5)

 

 

 

58 (86.6)

41 (61.2)

42 (62.7)

 

 

 

0.337

0.015

0.380

 

 

 

87 (93.6)

68 (73.1)

59 (63.4)

 

 

 

46 (82.1)

38 (67.9)

40 (71.4)

 

 

 

0.029

0.492

0.372

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

cNurse practitioners who did not identify as Pap nurses were excluded from the analysis of this table.

dResponses were on a 7 point Likert scale which was dichotomised as ≤ 4, indicating ‘unwilling’ or ‘disagree’ and > 4, indicating ‘willing’ or ‘agree’.