Share

More information needed to improve women's understanding of smear results

Women's understanding of a "normal smear test result": experimental questionnaire based study

Only about half of women understand that the term "normal smear result" means there is a low risk of having or developing cervical cancer in the next five years, finds a study in this week's BMJ. These findings suggest that NHS policy for reporting normal smears needs to change.

A total of 1027 women, aged 20-64, were asked to imagine that they had received a normal smear result. The meaning of this result was then presented using different combinations of verbal and numerical explanations.

When informed only that their smear result was normal, just 52% correctly understood that this entailed a residual risk of cervical cancer, compared with 70% given an additional statement explaining that a normal test result means there is a low risk of cervical cancer. However, understanding was not improved further by the use of a numerical absolute (1 in 5000) or a relative probability (five times lower).

In light of these findings, the reporting of a "normal smear result" should be accompanied by a sentence stating that this means a low risk for having or developing cervical cancer in the next five years, say the authors.

They conclude: "Adopting our recommendation has the potential to avoid as many as half a million women a year being falsely reassured."

Contact:

Theresa Marteau, Professor of Health Psychology, King's College London, UK Email: theresa.marteau@kcl.ac.uk

Share

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.