Advice from Affected Persons about living with Human Papillomavirus Infection

PURPOSE: To describe the "advice or information" people who have had HPV for one year would give to the newly diagnosed. DESIGN: Descriptive. POPULATION, SAMPLE: The population was persons with HPV. A convenience sample of 61 women and 27 men, mean age 23.8 years, was recruited from 4 clinics in one midwestern U.S.A. city between 1990 and 1993. METHODS: Participants answered an open-ended question about the advice and information they would give to newly diagnosed persons. Content analysis was done. FINDINGS: Six major areas of advice were provided including keeping a balanced perspective, getting treatment, sexual behavior, knowledge, self-care, and other. A high percent of advice from women was to keep a balanced perspective on life. A high percent of the advice from men focused on sexual behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Advice covered a variety of topics touching on many aspects of daily life, not simply disease control and sexual behavior. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Practitioners should carefully explore their clients' reactions to the diagnosis of HPV and address the sensitive emotional elements entailed.