The educational pelvic examination. Women's responses to a new approach.

To compare the reactions of women to educational and traditional formats of the pelvic examination, a convenience sample of 213 women with divergent demographic characteristics was selected from the practices of six nurses and physicians. After random assignment to educational or traditional groups, all subjects completed a questionnaire developed by the researchers that assessed preexisting attitudes toward pelvic examination. All subjects were then examined with either the educational or traditional method. Afterwards, all subjects completed a second questionnaire, which assessed their responses to the recent examination. The educational and traditional groups' preexisting attitudes toward pelvic examination did not differ significantly. After experiencing the pelvic examination, however, the educational group demonstrated significantly more positive attitudes toward the examination.