Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39175279›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics2025

A pilot study of upcycled smartphone-based colposcopy for visual inspection of cervix performed by community healthcare workers in rural Vietnam.

Ga Won Yim, Jiyeon Lee, Kyungmo Yang, Chae Hyeong Lee, Nguyen Vu Quoc Huy, Minh Tuan Vo, Sangchul Yoon

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. A pilot study of upcycled smartphone-based colposcopy for visual inspection of cervix performed by community healthcare workers in rural Vietnam.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Ga Won YimDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dongguk University College of Medicine, Goyang, Korea.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4001-7547
Jiyeon LeeInternational Development, Department of International Studies, Graduate School of International Studies, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
Kyungmo YangCircular Economy Lab, Samsung Electronics, Seoul, Korea.
Chae Hyeong LeeDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dongguk University College of Medicine, Goyang, Korea.
Nguyen Vu Quoc HuyDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue, Vietnam.
Minh Tuan VoDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Sangchul YoonDepartment of Medical Humanities and Social Sciences, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0454-9597

Funding

Community Chest of KoreaKorea International Cooperation Agency
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThis study assessed the feasibility of smartphone-based colposcopy (SBC) for visual inspection of the cervix by community healthcare workers in low-resource areas.

methodsThis was a retrospective study conducted in community villages in rural Vietnam, where 177 participants were enrolled for a cervical cancer screening. Cervical images were obtained by pre-trained community healthcare workers using a portable, upcycled SBC (Samsung Galaxy Note 20). Images were taken before and after the visual inspection after acetic acid (VIA) examination. Captured images were stored on a web server through an Android-based application and later reviewed independently by two experienced gynecologists. Image quality was assessed, and kappa statistics were calculated for the measurement of agreement in VIA findings.

resultsCervical images of 177 women obtained between July and August 2020 were analyzed. The mean age of women was 42 ± 9.1 years, and 20.3% were postmenopausal. The percentage of adequate visibility of the squamocolumnar junction (SCJ) in the captured images was 83.1%. The kappa value for interobserver reliability was 0.61 for VIA positivity agreement between the two gynecologists. Image clarity was rated as average or above in 77.3%. The reasons for suboptimal clarity were poor focusing (15.3%), inadequate SCJ visibility (18%), and obscuring of the transformation zone due to blood (11.3%), discharge (14.7%), or artifacts such as intrauterine devices or polyps (5.1%).

conclusionUpcycled SBC was feasible when performed by pre-trained healthcare workers in a low-resource setting. VIA findings by SBC showed adequate agreement between two independent assessments, suggesting its potential as a method to aid cervical cancer screening.

Indexed as

Cervix UteriColposcopyCommunity Health WorkersEarly Detection of CancerSmartphoneUterine Cervical NeoplasmsAdultFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsReproducibility of ResultsRetrospective StudiesRural PopulationVietnamcolposcopycommunity health workermobile applicationsscreeningsmartphoneuterine cervical neoplasms

Identifiers

PMID39175279
PMCPMC11726127

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.