Diagnosing women with HPV: The impact of diagnosis disclosure methods

Objective: Little data exists on women's HPV diagnosis encounters. This research focuses on impacts of the communicative medium used to inform women of their HPV status. We conducted a qualitative study to identify the mediums used to communicate HPV diagnoses and the impact of each medium on the diagnosis experience. Method: Twenty-five women with HPV completed semi-structured interviews, which we recorded and transcribed. We relied on grounded theory techniques in both data collection and analysis. Results: There are three primary mediums health care providers use to inform women of their HPV diagnosis: phone calls, mailed letters/email, and face-to-face interactions. Implications regarding each medium are identified and discussed. Conclusion: There are drawbacks associated with the use of each medium that healthcare practitioners should be aware of and seek to avoid. Practice implications: Healthcare providers can utilize descriptions of diagnosis encounters and the recommendations accompanying them to understand and modify ways they choose to inform individuals of an HPV diagnosis.