Impact of a new cervical Pap smear screening guideline on member perceptions and comfort levels

Background. An evaluation was conducted to assess patient perceptions and c omfort levels with a new triennial Pap smear screening guideline. Methods. A random sample of women ages 20-69 (N = 673) was selected among m embers of three provider groups within a large health maintenance organizat ion and mailed a survey. Questions pertained to Pap smear history and perce ptions of the new guideline. Results. The overall response rate was 63%. Over one-half of respondents ha d no recollection of being informed about the change in recommendation. Fou rteen percent of subjects responded positively to the change, 16% were neut ral, 20% were skeptical, and 50% made negative comments. Women significantl y more likely to be negative or skeptical about the new guideline were thos e who reported more frequent prior Pap smears (P < 0.0001), those reporting a history of abnormal Pap smear (P < 0.01), and more educated women (P < 0 .05). No statistical differences were found for those reporting a recent ab normal result, or based on provider group, age, or recollection of being in formed. Conclusions. Regardless of patient knowledge and intellectual understanding of screening intervals, this new guideline raises patient concern about pr eventive care. More must be done to educate women regarding the change in r ecommended screening frequency and the reasons for it. (C) 1999 American He alth Foundation and Academic Press.