Implications for research and /or practice
Future scientific research should include studies on how the e-tool improves vaginal health care: for instance implementing the e-tool in GP practice and assess its contribution to the improvement of vaginal health care, and preferably for different clinical problems/ ilnesses.
Decision aids can add to usual care, to improve patients’ knowledge, clarity about preferences and risk perceptions, to enhance a more active role in decision making. 27 Additional benefits with implementation such as usage, shared decision making and clinical outcome will yet have to be explored and realized. 28, 29
The tool actually has the potential to improve vaginal care, for example contributing to preventive solutions/ structural help (some women who received treatment after treatment from their GPs) and assisting with psychological side effects of vaginal symptoms (it would affect personal sex lives as well) 30. The e-tool could also play a role with regard to the streamlining of new developments such as the decisionmaking of clinician taken vs. self-taken vaginal swabs31. Additionally, it has the potential to alleviate the workload of GPs and empower women.