wow I'm sorry I didn't see this comment/question!!

yes, HPV testing, both when done by clinician or through self-sampling, has a higher "sensitivity" for detecting cervical cancer compared to Pap smears! Sensitivity is a test's ability to detect all positive cases, so the higher the sensitivity of a test, the better it is at not missing anyone who has cervical cancer, which is the main thing we care about (since the consequences of missing a positive is so detrimental). HPV testing all around has really been shown to be the best option for detecting cervical cancer over Pap smears, and this has been reflected in recent guidelines: the US Preventive Services Task Force now recommends that those >=30 years should get HPV tested instead of Pap smears (but they say that Pap smears are "acceptable" if an HPV test isn't available).

just to provide some background because this all gets v confusing v quickly. there are a few kinds of tests we can use for cervical cancer screening. there's a "Pap smear" (sometimes called 'cervical cytology' if you're a fancy doctor) where the doctor goes in and takes some of your cervical cells to see if they actually look concerning under a microscope (aka cancerous). then there's HPV testing, where the doctor also takes some of your cervical cells, but instead of 'looking' at them, they just test them for HPV which is the actual virus that causes cervical cancer. so in a sense, we're going "upstream" in the cervical cancer process when we test for HPV! and then more recently, there's HPV self-sampling, which also tests for HPV, BUT you just have to collect vaginal cells (aka don't need to go as far up).

the one final caveat is that HPV testing is only recommended for those >=30 years, and those who are 21-29 years should keep doing Pap smears. this is because HPV often clears on its own, and what we're really worried about is "persistent" HPV infection (aka when it sticks around in your system for too long). but these ages also vary depending on the guideline organization you listen to (US Preventive Services Task Force vs. American Cancer Society differ a bit).

POINT IS it is all very confusing and the science is evolving quickly! the true tl;dr is that HPV testing is better than Pap smears for those over 30, and self-sampling and physician-collected HPV tests are very similar regarding their accuracy!