More than 25% of women opt for HPV self-swabbing
Universal access to self-swabbing has also encouraged uptake in under-screened women, show latest data.
One in four women undergoing HPV screening are now opting for self-collected swabs, according to figures from the federal Department of Health and Aged Care.
The number of never- and under-screened women being tested has also jumped since the Medicare criteria for vaginal self-swabbing were relaxed in mid-2022.
The latest data show that 27% of women were opting for self-collected swabs by the end of 2023 — up from 16% a year earlier.
About one in five of these women had switched from clinician-collected swabs to self-swabbing.
