Trial reportBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2006
Improving women's experience during speculum examinations at routine gynaecological visits: randomised clinical trial.
Trial report in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2006. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effectiveness of Interventions to Improve Women's Experience of Pelvic Examinations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2026Pooled it
- Development and validation of the gynecologic examination anxiety scale (GEAS): A 20-item patient-reported measure.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026Article
- The Clinical Impact of Patient Embarrassment in Gynecology: A Comprehensive Review of Barriers, Consequences, and Mitigation Strategies.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Comfort or conservation? Investigating patient choices between plastic and metal speculums.PloS one · 2026Article
- Efforts to increase uptake of cervical cancer screening in the absence of a national programme in Ghana: a qualitative study of stakeholders' experience.BMC public health · 2025Article
- The Effect of Anesthesia Type on the Stability of the Surgical View on the Monitor in Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery for Renal Stone: A Prospective Observational Trial.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Observational
- A novel speculum-free imaging strategy for visualization of the internal female lower reproductive system.Scientific reports · 2020Article
- Design and preliminary analysis of a vaginal inserter for speculum-free cervical cancer screening.PloS one · 2017Article
- Effect of vaginal self-sampling on cervical cancer screening rates: a community-based study in Newfoundland.BMC women's health · 2015Article
- The challenging pelvic examination.Journal of general internal medicine · 2011Review
- Does pelvic exam in the emergency department add useful information?The western journal of emergency medicine · 2011Article
- Stirrups or no stirrups for routine speculum examinations? Patient comfort is secondary to cervical smear quality...BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2006Article
- Stirrups or no stirrups for routine speculum examinations? ...but we do not need to do a trial of smear quality.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2006Article
- Stirrups or no stirrups for routine speculum examinations? Patient's perspective.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2006Article
- Best practice in primary care.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2006Article
- Vaginal speculum examinations without stirrups.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2006Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo determine if a standardised method of leg positioning without stirrups reduces the physical discomfort and sense of vulnerability and increases the sense of control among women undergoing speculum examination as part of a routine gynaecological examination.
designRandomised clinical trial.
settingFamily medicine outpatient clinic. PATIENTS: 197 adult women undergoing routine gynaecological examination and cervical smear.
interventionExamination with or without stirrups.
main outcome measuresWomen's perceived levels of physical discomfort, sense of vulnerability, and sense of control during the examination, measured on 100 mm visual analogue scales.
resultsWomen undergoing examination without stirrups had a reduction in mean sense of vulnerability from 23.6 to 13.1 (95% confidence interval of the difference - 16.6 to - 4.4). Mean physical discomfort was reduced from 30.4 to 17.2 (- 19.7 to - 6.8). There was no significant reduction in sense of loss of control.
conclusionWomen should be able to have gynaecological examinations without using stirrups to reduce the stress associated with speculum examinations.
trial registrationUS Army Central Investigation Regulatory Office. Trial No DDEAMC 05-11.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.