Pain — The Improvement Of Pelvic Exams for Patients With Chronic Vulvovaginal Conditions
Citation(s)
Bernet R, Buddeberg C [Physician-patient relations in gynecology: expectations and experiences of patients]. Gynakol Geburtshilfliche Rundsch. 1994;34(1):43-9. German.
Daley AM, Cromwell PF How to perform a pelvic exam for the sexually active adolescent. Nurse Pract. 2002 Sep;27(9):28, 31-2, 34, 37-9, 43; quiz 44-5.
Gallagher EJ, Liebman M, Bijur PE Prospective validation of clinically important changes in pain severity measured on a visual analog scale. Ann Emerg Med. 2001 Dec;38(6):633-8.
Goetsch MF, Lim JY, Caughey AB Locating pain in breast cancer survivors experiencing dyspareunia: a randomized controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol. 2014 Jun;123(6):1231-6. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000000283.
Kelly AM Does the clinically significant difference in visual analog scale pain scores vary with gender, age, or cause of pain? Acad Emerg Med. 1998 Nov;5(11):1086-90.
Kelly AM The minimum clinically significant difference in visual analogue scale pain score does not differ with severity of pain. Emerg Med J. 2001 May;18(3):205-7.
Wiegel M, Meston C, Rosen R The female sexual function index (FSFI): cross-validation and development of clinical cutoff scores. J Sex Marital Ther. 2005 Jan-Feb;31(1):1-20.
Wijma B, Gullberg M, Kjessler B Attitudes towards pelvic examination in a random sample of Swedish women. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 1998 Apr;77(4):422-8.
Williams AA, Williams M A guide to performing pelvic speculum exams: a patient-centered approach to reducing iatrogenic effects. Teach Learn Med. 2013;25(4):383-91. doi: 10.1080/10401334.2013.827969.
The Improvement Of Pelvic Exams for Patients With Chronic Vulvovaginal Conditions
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
