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

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

Variable

Professional role, N (%)

Practice location, N (%)

Pap nurse^c

p-value

Metropolitan

Rural

p-value

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

-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; > 4^d

-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’.