Peer-reviewed article
Health Care Providers' Readiness to Adopt an Interactive 3D Web App in Consultations About Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Qualitative Evaluation of a Prototype.
Holuszko OM, Abdulcadir J, Abbott D, Clancy J ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study evaluated a prototype 3D web app designed to help healthcare providers communicate with patients about female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). Seven experienced healthcare providers from different disciplines were interviewed about whether they would use an interactive 3D visualization tool showing genitourinary anatomy in FGM/C consultations. Six of seven providers expressed strong interest in using the tool, seeing it as helpful for explaining anatomy, describing post-FGM/C changes, and illustrating procedures like defibulation. The tool's ability to be customized by FGM/C subtype and skin tone was particularly valued.
Key points
- Six out of seven healthcare providers expressed keen interest in adopting the 3D web app for FGM/C consultations
- Providers identified key uses: describing patient's genitals after FGM/C, reinforcing clitoral anatomy understanding, illustrating defibulation process, and explaining physiological effects
- Customizable features (FGM/C subtype, skin tone, visual complexity) were seen as beneficial and related to patient needs
- Providers noted potential benefits for less experienced healthcare workers and applications in medical education, patient records, and legal settings
- One concern raised was the risk that realistic visualizations might perpetuate idealistic standards for vulval appearance
Limitations
This is a qualitative evaluation with only seven healthcare providers, so findings cannot be generalized widely. Critically, no patients were interviewed, so the study cannot confirm whether the tool would actually improve patient care or satisfaction in real consultations.
Abstract
Background Comprehensive and appropriate health care provision to women and girls with female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) is lacking. Use of visuals in health care provider (HCP) consultations facilitates the communication of health information and its comprehension by patients. A web app featuring a 3D visualization of the genitourinary anatomy was developed to support HCPs in conferring clinical information about FGM/C to patients. Objective The aim of this study was to explore HCP perspectives on the use of visuals in discussion about FGM/C with their patients as well as to obtain their feedback on whether an interactive 3D web app showing the genitourinary anatomy would be helpful in patient consultations about FGM/C, identifying key features that are relevant to their clinical practice. Methods We evaluated the web app through a semistructured interview protocol with seven HCPs from various disciplines experienced in care for women and girls with FGM/C in migration-destination settings. Interviews were audio- and video-recorded for transcription, and were then analyzed thematically for contextualized data regarding HCPs' willingness to use a 3D web app visualizing anatomy in FGM/C consultations with patients. Results All but one of the seven participants expressed keen interest in using this web app and its 3D visuals of anatomy in FGM/C consultations with patients. Participants shared the common contexts for the use of visuals in health care for FGM/C and the concepts they are used to support, such as to help describe a patient's genitals after FGM/C and reinforce an understanding of clitoral anatomy, to illustrate the process of defibulation, or to explain the physiological effects of FGM/C. Participants also highlighted the benefit of using visuals that patients can relate to, expressing approval for the ability to customize the vulva by FGM/C subtype, skin tone, and complexity of the visual shown in the web app. Despite critiques that the visualization may serve to perpetuate idealistic standards for how a vulva should look, participants largely agreed on the web app's perceived usefulness to clinical practice and beyond. Conclusions Evaluation of the web app developed in this study identified that digital tools with 3D models of the genitourinary anatomy that are accessible, informative, and customizable to any specific patient are likely to aid HCPs in communicating clinical information about FGM/C in consultations. Universal access to the web app may be particularly useful for HCPs with less experience in FGM/C. The app also prompts options for applications such as for personal use, in medical education, in patient medical records, or in legal settings. Further qualitative research with patients is required to confirm that adoption of the web app by HCPs in a consultation setting will indeed benefit patient care for women and girls with FGM/C.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Interactive 3D web app showing customizable genitourinary anatomy (by FGM/C subtype, skin tone, and complexity level) for use in healthcare provider consultations
- Population
- Seven healthcare providers from various disciplines with experience treating women and girls with FGM/C in migration-destination settings
Key finding
Six of seven (86%) healthcare providers expressed keen interest in using the 3D web app in FGM/C consultations