Publications by authors named "George F Sawaya"

Objective: To compare the model-predicted benefits, harms, and cost-effectiveness of cytology, cotesting, and primary HPV screening in US women with HIV (WWH).

Design: We adapted a previously published Markov decision model to simulate a cohort of US WWH.

Setting: United States.

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Background And Hypothesis: In the United States, women with schizophrenia face challenges in receiving gynecologic care, but little is known about how cervical cancer screening rates vary across time or states in a publicly insured population. We hypothesized that women Medicaid beneficiaries with schizophrenia would be less likely to receive cervical cancer screening across the United States compared with a control population, and that women with schizophrenia and other markers of vulnerability would be least likely to receive screening.

Study Design: This retrospective cohort study used US Medicaid administrative data from across 44 states between 2002 and 2012 and examined differences in cervical cancer screening test rates among 283 950 female Medicaid beneficiaries with schizophrenia and a frequency-matched control group without serious mental illness, matched on age and race/ethnicity.

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Article Synopsis
  • Implementation of primary HPV testing in the U.S. is slow, largely due to concerns about its sensitivity compared to cotesting methods, which combine HPV and cytology testing.
  • A study of various populations showed that cotesting led to more laboratory tests and colposcopies than primary HPV testing, indicating a higher burden on healthcare resources.
  • As the prevalence of cervical issues decreased, the detection of significant conditions through cotesting became less advantageous, suggesting that primary HPV testing may provide a better balance between benefits and risks than cotesting.
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Hysterectomy protects against cervical cancer when the cervix is removed. However, measures of cervical cancer incidence often fail to exclude women with a hysterectomy from the population-at-risk denominator, underestimating and distorting disease burden. In this study, we estimated hysterectomy prevalence from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys to remove the women who were not at risk of cervical cancer from the denominator and combined these estimates with the US Cancer Statistics data.

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Tubal sterilization is more commonly utilized by racial/ethnic minority groups and has been implicated in underscreening for cervical cancer. The objective is to determine if prior tubal sterilization is a risk factor for cervical cancer underscreening. National Survey of Family Growth dataset from 2015 to 2019 used for analysis; data were weighted to represent the 72 million women in the U.

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Background: Little is known about cervical cancer screening strategy utilization (cytology alone, cytology plus high-risk human papillomavirus [HPV] testing [cotesting], primary HPV testing) and test results in the United States.

Methods: Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program were analyzed for 199,578 persons aged 21-65 years screened from 2019 to 2020. Screening test utilization and results were stratified by demographic characteristics and geographic region.

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This Research Letter summarizes all updates to the 2019 Guidelines through September 2023, including: endorsement of the 2021 Opportunistic Infections guidelines for HIV+ or immunosuppressed patients; clarification of use of human papillomavirus testing alone for patients undergoing observation for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2; revision of unsatisfactory cytology management; clarification that 2012 guidelines should be followed for patients aged 25 years and older screened with cytology only; management of patients for whom colposcopy was recommended but not completed; clarification that after treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2+, 3 negative human papillomavirus tests or cotests at 6, 18, and 30 months are recommended before the patient can return to a 3-year testing interval; and clarification of postcolposcopy management of minimally abnormal results.

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The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that cervical cancer screening end in average-risk patients with a cervix at 65 years of age if adequate screening measures have been met, defined as having 1) at least three normal consecutive cytology (Pap) tests, or 2) two normal cytology tests and/or two negative high-risk human papillomavirus tests between ages 55-65; the last test should be performed within the prior 5 years. Up to 60 % of all women aged 65 years and older who are ending screening do not meet the criteria for adequate screening. The objective of this study was to understand the process and approach that healthcare clinicians use to determine eligibility to end cervical cancer screening.

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Objective: To examine the association between YouTube usage and HPV-related cancer knowledge (cervical, anal, oral and penile).

Study Design: Cross-sectional study using data from the Health Information National Trends survey conducted between 2017 and 2020 ( = 16,092). Logistic regression was used to analyze the independent effect of YouTube use on cancer knowledge, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics.

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The provision of low-value care remains a significant concern in healthcare. The negative impacts resulting from low-value cervical cancer screenings are extensive at the population level and can lead to harms and substantial out-of-pocket expenses for patients. Inattention to the financial implications of screening poses a serious threat to low-income populations that depend on affordable screening services, and it may exacerbate existing healthcare disparities and inequities.

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Introduction: Selective utilization of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotyping in cervical cancer screening can accelerate clinical management, leading to earlier identification and treatment of precancerous lesions and cancer. Specifically, immediate colposcopy (instead of 1-year return) is recommended in persons with normal cytology and HPV genotypes 16 and/or 18, and expedited treatment (instead of colposcopy) is recommended in persons with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) cytology and HPV genotype 16. The effects of implementing HPV testing and genotyping into a screening program are largely unknown.

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Importance: Black and Hispanic or Latina women are more likely than White women to receive a diagnosis of and to die of cervical cancer. Health insurance coverage is associated with diagnosis at an earlier stage of cervical cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the extent to which racial and ethnic differences in the diagnosis of advanced-stage cervical cancer are mediated by insurance status.

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Importance: Investing in educators, educational innovation, and scholarship is essential for excellence in health professions education and health care. Funds for education innovations and educator development remain at significant risk because they virtually never generate offsetting revenue. A broader shared framework is needed to determine the value of such investments.

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Importance: Since 1996, the US Preventive Services Task Force has recommended against cervical cancer screening in average-risk women 65 years or older with adequate prior screening. Little is known about the use of cervical cancer screening-associated services in this age group.

Objective: To examine annual use trends in cervical cancer screening-associated services, specifically cytology and human papillomavirus (HPV) tests, colposcopy, and cervical procedures (loop electrosurgical excision procedure, cone biopsy, and ablation) in Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries during January 1, 1999, to December 31, 2019, and estimate expenditures for services performed in 2019.

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Background: Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) is a common but understudied gynaecological problem, and data are lacking on emergency department (ED) visits and associated ED-to-inpatient admissions for AUB. This project aims to further understanding of the burden of AUB on patients and the healthcare system by establishing the number and characteristics of women with AUB in the ED and evaluating predictors of AUB-related inpatient hospitalisation in the USA.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of women presenting to the ED with non-malignant AUB in the 2016 US Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS).

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Background: While annual cytology has not been recommended for many years, it remains many patients' preferred screening strategy for cervical cancer. Patient education and provider recommendations have been found effective in aligning professional society guidelines with patient preferences. We assessed whether an educational video with value elicitation exercises (utility assessments) changed screening strategy preferences among patients who had an initial preference for annual screening.

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Cervical cancer is highly preventable when precancerous lesions are detected early and appropriately managed. However, the complexity of and frequent updates to existing evidence-based clinical guidelines make it challenging for clinicians to stay abreast of the latest recommendations. In addition, limited availability and accessibility to information technology (IT) decision supports make it difficult for groups who are medically underserved to receive screening or receive the appropriate follow-up care.

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Objective: To examine trends in the use of cervical cancer screening tests during 2013-2019 among commercially insured women.

Methods: The study population included women of all ages with continuous enrollment each year in the IBM MarketScan commercial or Medicare supplemental databases and without known history of cervical cancer or precancer (range = 6.9-9.

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The expeditious diagnosis and treatment of high-grade cervical precancers are fundamental to cervical cancer prevention. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic healthcare systems have at times restricted in-person visits to those deemed urgent. Professional societies provided some guidance to clinicians regarding ways in which traditional cervical cancer screening might be modified, but many gaps remained.

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Introduction: This study sought to determine whether a provider mobile phone application, used with or without a patient educational tool accessed on a computer tablet, would promote adherence to guidelines for cervical cancer screening and management of abnormal cytology in young women.

Methods: The study was conducted as a prospective cohort study in which 14 Family Planning, Access, Care, and Treatment provider clinics were randomized to 1 of 2 arms: (1) provider mobile phone application only or (2) provider mobile phone application plus patient educational tool. The provider mobile phone application gave information to providers regarding cervical cancer screening and management of abnormal cytology.

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Cervical cancer can be prevented through routine screening and follow-up of abnormal results. Several guidelines have been published in the last 4 years from various medical societies and organizations. These guidelines aim to personalize screening and management, reducing unnecessary testing in low-risk patients and managing high-risk patients with more intensive follow-up.

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Background: Concern regarding pelvic examinations may be more common among women experiencing intimate partner violence.

Objective: We examined women's attitudes towards pelvic examination with history of intimate partner violence (pressured to have sex, or verbal, or physical abuse).

Design: Secondary analysis of data from a cluster randomized trial on contraceptive access.

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Shortly after its inception, the Society for Academic Specialists in General Obstetrics and Gynecology recognized that no data described the composition and faculty activities of "academic generalist divisions." Consequently, in 2018, the Society for Academic Specialists in General Obstetrics and Gynecology appointed a presidential task force and conducted the current surveys of chairs and division directors and key informant interviews to understand the composition and faculty activities in divisions of academic specialists in departments of obstetrics and gynecology and propose criteria for excellence in each mission area to guide development of divisions. In 2014, with Society for Academic Specialists in General Obstetrics and Gynecology's guidance, these divisions were referred to as academic specialists divisions and the faculty within as academic specialists to emphasize that they provide specialized women's health care in academic settings.

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