A Comparison of the Efficiency of Self-Sampling and Healthcare Professional Collection Practices for HPV DNA-Based Cervical Cancer Screenings in Kamphaeng Phet Province

Abstract

The utilization of the human papillomavirus deoxyribonucleic acid (HPV DNA) test with self-collected samples presents an accessible option for cervical cancer screening among Thai women. This study conducts a retrospective analysis to compare the efficacy of cervical cancer screening sample collection using the HPV DNA test between provider-collected and self-collected methods. Data were extracted from medical records of individuals who underwent cervical cancer screening with the HPV DNA test from June 2021 to May 2023, encompassing a total of 16,104 cases—15,109 of which were collected by healthcare providers and 995 were self-collected. Descriptive statistics and the chi-square test were employed for data analysis.

Results: The study determined that the mean age of service recipients was 47.5 years. Human papillomavirus (HPV) was identified in 908 cases, representing 5.64% of the sample. A comparison of the effectiveness of sample collection methods, conducted using Fisher’s exact test, revealed no statistically significant differences between healthcare personnel collection and self-collection. The personnel-conducted method yielded results in 99.94% of cases, whereas the self-collection method achieved a 100% result yield. The Chi-square test indicated no significant difference in HPV DNA test outcomes, with positive detection rates of 5.62% and 5.93%, respectively. Among those with positive test results, colposcopy findings were also not significantly different, with positive rates of 65.54% and 76.47%, respectively. These findings suggest that self-collection of specimens is comparably effective for cervical cancer screening as collection by healthcare personnel. This supports the Department of Health’s policy to enhance access to cervical cancer screening.