Sub-Saharan Africa Vulvar Assessment Tool

Test Your Diagnostic Skills in Vulvar Diseases Across Various Tones

Description

Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced   Release Date: January 7, 2025.

Cost: FREE

The Sub-Saharan Africa Vulvar Disease Assessment Tool is an interactive, case-based self-assessment designed for healthcare professionals to strengthen their diagnostic and clinical decision-making skills in vulvovaginal disease, with a specific focus on presentations commonly encountered in Sub-Saharan African populations.

Built around realistic clinical scenarios, this tool integrates patient history, physical examination findings, histopathology, and evidence-based management decisions. It reflects both global ISSVD standards and real-world clinical challenges seen in diverse and resource-variable settings.

Why This Test Matters

Vulvovaginal diseases often present differently depending on skin tone, age, hormonal status, comorbidities, and access to diagnostic tools. In Sub-Saharan Africa, additional challenges include delayed presentation, recurrent infections, limited specialist access, and underdiagnosis of chronic inflammatory or premalignant conditions.

Without targeted educational tools, these factors can lead to:

  • Delayed or missed diagnoses

  • Repeated empiric treatments without resolution

  • Progression of inflammatory disease to irreversible anatomic changes

  • Underrecognition of premalignant and malignant conditions

This assessment directly addresses these gaps.

The Need for Context-Specific Education

Most traditional teaching materials are based on high-resource settings and lighter skin tones, with limited representation of vulvar disease across darker skin or in postmenopausal, infectious, and chronic care contexts common in Sub-Saharan Africa.

This tool supports clinicians by:

  • Presenting realistic scenarios reflective of everyday practice

  • Reinforcing guideline-based management while acknowledging practical constraints

  • Promoting earlier recognition of serious pathology

 

How to Use This Quiz

  • Self-Evaluation: Test your diagnostic reasoning using clinically relevant, multiple-choice cases

  • Learn Through Feedback: Review correct answers and explanations to strengthen knowledge gaps

  • Clinical Application: Apply lessons directly to patient care in outpatient and referral settings

  • Ongoing Education: Use this assessment as part of continuous professional development alongside ISSVD educational resources

Why Take the Vulvar Diagnostic Skills Test?

  • Improve Diagnostic Accuracy: Strengthen pattern recognition across inflammatory, infectious, and neoplastic vulvar conditions

  • Enhance Clinical Confidence: Practice decision-making in complex, real-world scenarios

  • Promote Equitable Care: Support better outcomes for patients in underrepresented and underserved populations

  • Align With ISSVD Standards: Reinforce evidence-based, globally relevant vulvovaginal care

Key Features of the Test

  • Format: Multiple-choice questions based on detailed clinical vignettes

  • Approach: Integrated clinical, histologic, and management-focused reasoning

  • Objective: Build practical diagnostic confidence and improve patient outcomes

  • Perspective: Global standards applied to regional clinical realities

    What Topics Are Covered?

    The test spans a broad range of vulvar conditions, including:

    Structural and Hormonal Conditions

    • Labial adhesions in postmenopausal patients

    Infectious Diseases

    • Genital herpes (HSV-1 and HSV-2)

    • Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (including Candida glabrata)

    • Trichomoniasis and bacterial vaginosis

    Inflammatory Dermatoses

    • Lichen simplex chronicus

    • Lichen sclerosus

    Premalignant Disease

    • Differentiated vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (dVIN / HPV-independent)

    GDPR Notice

    By submitting this form, you agree that the ISSVD may collect and process your responses for educational and statistical purposes. Your data will be stored securely and will not be shared with third parties. You also agree to receive emails from the ISSVD, including educational updates and promotional content. You may unsubscribe or request access, correction, or deletion of your data at any time.

    Please review our full policies:

    VULVAR DIAGNOSTICS SKILLS TEST

    Let’s begin your journey towards deeper insights into vulvar health! With each question, insert the MOST LIKELY DIAGNOSIS

    Start Assessment Test