Taking Charge of my Health: A Trial to Investigate the Accuracy and Acceptability of Self-Diagnostic Methods for Vaginitis in Adolescent Females

Vaginal symptoms are common among adolescent females. Vaginal symptoms can result from alterations in the normal flora such as candidiasis or bacterial vaginosis (BV), or from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as trichomonas vaginalis (Tv). However, studies have shown that neither experienced clinicians or patients can accurately diagnose the etiology of vaginitis based on symptoms alone, and the standard evaluation (pelvic examination and wet mount) has limitations.

As an alternative to the standard evaluation, there are several objective, point-of-care tests that can be performed on vaginal secretions, which could be useful in discriminating between the various causes of vaginitis. These include a rapid test for trichomonas vaginalis, a rapid test for bacterial vaginosis, and the vaginal pH and amine test. The aims of this study are to explore the feasibility, accuracy (e.g., correlation, sensitivity, specificity) and acceptability of self-performed versus clinician-performed tests for vaginitis in adolescent females.

Approximately 300 adolescent females will undergo self- and clinician-testing for both STI and non-STI vaginitis. Subjects will be randomized into two groups. Group 1 will perform self-testing for the first half of the study before receiving clinician-testing for the remainder of the study. Group 2 participants will receive clinician-testing for the first half of the study before performing self-testing for the remainder of the study. All participants will have a discussion with the clinician to compare the results of self-performed tests with the results obtained by the clinician. Investigators will assess their acceptance of self- and clinician-testing before testing, after testing, and after the discussion with the clinician.