|
Completing a questionnaire
Participation in this project will involve completing a questionnaire that will be coded and does not have your name on it. The questionnaire contains personal questions so that we can understand how BV develops and is spread between people. It takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete. The questionnaire will be able to be done online on this website once we have provided you with a code, or we can post you a hard copy with a reply paid envelope if you prefer.
Self-collecting a swab
We will also ask you to collect a swab from your vagina which can be taken anywhere that is private eg at home in your room, the bathroom or the toilet. If you prefer you can attend our clinical service and collect the swab and complete the questionnaire here in a private clinic room. A swab is just a cotton tip similar to an ear bud and studies have shown that women find this easy and acceptable, and often prefer it to a doctor taking a swab. We will give you clear verbal and written instructions and provide you with a reply paid envelope to post it back to us. Collecting the swab will only take a minute and this swab will be tested for BV. In recognition of the time and commitment to the study we will be giving women a Coles-Myer voucher for $25.
Click here for Self Swabbing Instructions (PDF)
Giving you your swab result
We will ask you on your consent form how you would like to be told about the swab result. If you have BV we will then arrange for you to have antibiotic treatment either through our clinical service, Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC) or through your GP if you prefer. You can phone or email us to discuss any concerns about sexual health, including BV and STIs. We will be able to arrange for you to be reviewed at MSHC, a confidential health service near the university that provides STI and HIV testing, and medication for free if it is required.
Twelve month study
This first step is the initial part of a longer study where we would like to follow up women every 3 months for a year to see how many women develop BV and what factors or practices may be related to the development of BV. We will discuss this with you when you contact us. If you do not wish to participate in the longer study you can still participate in the short study. Women who participate in the longer study will be contacted every 3 months and posted a kit to self-collect a swab and complete a questionnaire, just as you did in the first part of the study. On each occasion it should take less than 15 minutes to collect the swab and complete the questionnaire. The questionnaires can all be completed online or we can post you hard copies with a reply paid envelope. In recognition of the time and commitment to the study we will be giving women a Coles-Myer voucher for $25 at 6 months and 12 months.
We will contact you if you develop BV at any stage during the study and you will be able to contact us by phone or email if you have any questions.
Click here for the full Participation Information Consent Form
|
