Biomaterial Database

Family physicians' colposcopy practices. 1992

P R Gordon, and B D Weiss

Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Tucson.

BACKGROUND The objectives of this study were to determine (1) the extent to which family physicians are performing colposcopy, (2) which colposcopic procedures are performed by these family physicians, (3) demographic characteristics of physicians who perform colposcopy, and (4) whether physicians who do not perform colposcopy plan to do so in the future. METHODS A questionnaire was mailed to all 757 self-identified family practice physicians in Arizona. RESULTS The return rate was 72 percent, and the response rate was 55.5 percent. Results indicated that 19.3 percent of respondents were trained to perform colposcopy, and 9.5 percent actually have performed it. For those performing colposcopy, the mean number of procedures performed during the previous 6 months was 25 (range 2-100). CONCLUSIONS Certain barriers to performing colposcopy were identified: (1) lack of available training, (2) interspecialty "turf battles," (3) quality assurance, and (4) the cost of malpractice liability insurance. Nevertheless, there were no insurmountable reasons why family physicians could not perform colposcopy.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D010821	Physicians, Family	Those physicians who have completed the education requirements specified by the American Academy of Family Physicians.	Family Physician,Family Physicians,Physician, Family
D011364	Professional Practice	The use of one's knowledge in a particular profession. It includes, in the case of the field of biomedicine, professional activities related to health care and the actual performance of the duties related to the provision of health care.	Practice, Professional,Practices, Professional,Professional Practices
D011795	Surveys and Questionnaires	Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions.	Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D002983	Clinical Competence	The capability to perform acceptably those duties directly related to patient care.	Clinical Skills,Competence, Clinical,Clinical Competency,Clinical Skill,Competency, Clinical,Skill, Clinical,Skills, Clinical,Clinical Competencies,Competencies, Clinical
D003127	Colposcopy	The examination, therapy or surgery of the cervix and vagina by means of a specially designed endoscope introduced vaginally.	Colposcopic Surgical Procedures,Surgical Procedures, Colposcopic,Colposcopic Surgery,Surgery, Colposcopic,Colposcopic Surgeries,Colposcopic Surgical Procedure,Colposcopies,Procedure, Colposcopic Surgical,Procedures, Colposcopic Surgical,Surgeries, Colposcopic,Surgical Procedure, Colposcopic
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001130	Arizona	State of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA bounded on the east by New Mexico, on the north by Utah, on the west by Nevada and California, and on the south by Mexico.