Patient preferences for disposable and reusable vaginal specula and their willingness to compromise in the era of climate change: A cross‐sectional study

Objective To evaluate patient satisfaction on gynaecological examination with metal, plastic and biobased plastic vaginal specula, and to investigate whether patients are willing to compromise on comfort for a more sustainable healthcare system. Design Cross‐sectional study: population‐based survey. Setting Gynaecological outpatient clinics in five Dutch hospitals. Population Patients during general gynaecology consultation hours. Methods A survey containing two questions about patient demographics, four about comfort and five about sustainability and healthcare was distributed. Main outcome measures Comfort score (scale 1–10). Secondary outcomes: (1) temperature, size and ease of insertion, (2) willingness to compromise for a more sustainable healthcare system. Results In all, 196 patients completed the survey. Biobased plastic vaginal specula scored significantly higher on comfort than the metal ones (mean 8.03 ± 1.65 versus 7.26 ± 1.51 respectively; P