Are Patient-Performed Group B Streptococcus Swabs as Accurate as Physician-Performed Swabs?
Nyvall, Mary (CH) & Mckenzie, Danica (CH) Objective: The purpose of this comparative study was to determine whether patient-performed Group B Streptococcus swabs were as accurate as physician-performed swabs in pregnant women between 35 and 37 weeks gestational age. Design: Women attending a prenatal visit at their physician’s office were asked to perform a self-swab using a diagramed instruction sheet, and then had a second swab performed by their GP or resident researcher. Both swabs were collected, labelled and sent to a lab where they were analyzed by blinded lab technicians. Setting: Women were recruited from two family practice offices in Chilliwack, BC. Participants: 34 consenting women between 35 and 37 weeks pregnant. Interventions: Each woman had a self-performed and physician-performed GBS swab. Main Outcome measures: The primary endpoint was to determine the accuracy of patient-performed GBS swabs compared to physician-performed swabs. Results: 10 out of the 34 patients tes
