Efficacy of self collected versus physician collected vaginal samples in infective vaginitis

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of self-collected versus physician-collected vaginal samples using cotton swabs in diagnosing infective vaginitis among women attending the gynecology outpatient department  at KIMS Hospital, Hubballi. The primary objective is to compare the diagnostic outcomes of both sampling methods. Secondary objectives include identifying additional clinical findings through speculum examination that might be missed during self-sampling, assessing the acceptability of self-sampling among patients, and exploring its potential benefits in diagnosing vaginal infections, particularly in primary care and low-resource settings.

Married or sexually active women presenting with complaints of vaginal discharge are enrolled in the study. Participants are guided to collect low vaginal swabs themselves by standing with one leg elevated, separating the labial folds, and inserting three swabs marked at 8 cm into the vagina. The swabs are twisted thrice in either direction, left in place for 20 seconds, then removed and placed in a sterile tube. Following this, a clinician collects a high vaginal swab under a speculum examination using gloved hands. All samples are properly indexed, and the microbiologist analyzing them is blinded to the source of collection. The collected samples undergo Gram staining, whiff test, wet mount, and hanging drop examination to detect infections such as bacterial vaginosis, Candida, and Trichomonas vaginalis.