We believe that the higher proportion of women experiencing no pain and the mean difference of 0.74 on the pain scale (both statistically significant), combined with the lack of risk associated with the use of a water-based lubricant, makes this a clinically useful practice changer.
CHALLENGES TO IMPLEMENTATION
There aren’t any
Other than clinical inertia, we see no challenges to the implementation of this recommendation.
References
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4. Amies AE, Miller L, Lee S, et al. The effect of vaginal speculum lubrication on the rate of unsatisfactory cervical cytology diagnosis. Obstet Gynecol. 2002;100:889-892.
5. Griffith WF, Stuart GS, Gluck KL, et al. Vaginal speculum lubrication and its effects on cervical cytology and microbiology. Contraception. 2005;72:60-64.
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Acknowledgement
The PURLs Surveillance System is supported in part by Grant Number UL 1RR 024999 from the National Center for Research Resources, a Clinical Translational Science Award to the University of Chicago. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center for Research Resources or the National Institutes of Health.
Copyright © 2013. The Family Physicians Inquiries Network. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission from the Family Physicians Inquiries Network and The Journal of Family Practice. 2013;61(9):E1-E3.