A pilot study of upcycled smartphone-based colposcopy for visual inspection of cervix performed by community healthcare workers in rural Vietnam.
Int J Gynaecol Obstet
; 2024 Aug 22.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39175279
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
This study assessed the feasibility of smartphone-based colposcopy (SBC) for visual inspection of the cervix by community healthcare workers in low-resource areas.METHODS:
This was a retrospective study conducted in community villages in rural Vietnam, where 177 participants were enrolled for a cervical cancer screening. Cervical images were obtained by pre-trained community healthcare workers using a portable, upcycled SBC (Samsung Galaxy Note 20). Images were taken before and after the visual inspection after acetic acid (VIA) examination. Captured images were stored on a web server through an Android-based application and later reviewed independently by two experienced gynecologists. Image quality was assessed, and kappa statistics were calculated for the measurement of agreement in VIA findings.RESULTS:
Cervical images of 177 women obtained between July and August 2020 were analyzed. The mean age of women was 42 ± 9.1 years, and 20.3% were postmenopausal. The percentage of adequate visibility of the squamocolumnar junction (SCJ) in the captured images was 83.1%. The kappa value for interobserver reliability was 0.61 for VIA positivity agreement between the two gynecologists. Image clarity was rated as average or above in 77.3%. The reasons for suboptimal clarity were poor focusing (15.3%), inadequate SCJ visibility (18%), and obscuring of the transformation zone due to blood (11.3%), discharge (14.7%), or artifacts such as intrauterine devices or polyps (5.1%).CONCLUSION:
Upcycled SBC was feasible when performed by pre-trained healthcare workers in a low-resource setting. VIA findings by SBC showed adequate agreement between two independent assessments, suggesting its potential as a method to aid cervical cancer screening.
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Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Int J Gynaecol Obstet
/
Int. j. gynaecol. obstet
/
International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article