Confusion and anxiety in between abnormal cervical cancer screening results and colposcopy: "The land of the unknown".

Only 15 women were interviewed, and they came from two practices in one academic health system, so the themes may not apply to other settings. The sample was recruited by convenience, and three eligible women were not scheduled because saturation had been reached, so the number of participants was small. All participants had attended colposcopy, and women who did not attend were not recruited, so the study cannot explain barriers to attendance. The study did not test any education, counseling, or outreach intervention, so it cannot show that giving more information before colposcopy reduces anxiety or improves attendance. The sample was mostly college-educated, and only English and Spanish speakers were included, so it may not represent women with less education or other language needs. Provider and health system perspectives were not collected, so the study cannot explain why results delivery was unclear.

Do not conclude that a specific pre-colposcopy education or counseling program will reduce anxiety or improve attendance. This study described women's experiences and did not test an intervention, and it did not include women who did not attend colposcopy.