Provider‐Identified Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening and Perceptions Toward Self‐Collection of Human Papillomavirus in Southwest Virginia

Abstract

Public health nursing implications for the barriers of lack of education and high cost were found in this study. In Southwest Virginia, self-collection of HPV was perceived as acceptable by health care workers in the community, and might represent an avenue for increased outreach and education.

Gender Differences in the Association between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Cancer

“…As a result, women who are survivors of sexual abuse may be targeted with interventions aimed to increase compliance with screening recommendations. Because cervical cancer screening may be invasive and traumatizing for women, clinicians may offer women who are refusing Pap smears the option to self-collect HPV specimens (Garcia, Lothamer, & Mitchell, 2016). Also, because women appear to be more negatively impacted by the consequences of ACEs, agencies that deal with populations with a high-risk for ACEs, like Child Protective Services, should consider providing targeted services for girls that both help them deal with trauma and alter patterns of risky health behaviors.…”

Examining Acceptability of Self-Collection for Human Papillomavirus Testing Among Women and Healthcare Providers with a Broader Lens

“…In this and two similar studies conducted in Ohio and Southwest Virginia, healthcare providers expressed concern about the efficacy of self-collection for HPV testing because they were uncertain about women’s ability to understand the self-collection instructions and collect adequate samples. 18,19 As research on self-collection advances, there is a need to communicate key findings with healthcare providers; there is limited research on interventions to educate healthcare providers about self-collection for HPV testing. 20 Healthcare providers in Ohio were also wary of self-collection because HPV testing alone is not currently recommended as a screening strategy by some key organizations in the United States, although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the cobas HPV test for use in primary cervical cancer screening in women aged 25 years or older.…”

HPV self-collection: what are we waiting for? Exploration of attitudes from frontline healthcare providers

“…Similar to prior studies reporting HPV self-collection acceptability in their communities, the providers assumed overall acceptance and enthusiasm of HPV self-collection within their patient populations 22. While there are limited studies assessing the provider viewpoint of HPV self-collection among patients, there are numerous studies assessing the patient perspective with consistent findings: HPV self-collection is acceptable and often preferred by women for cervical cancer screening in comparison with provider-collected screening 11 12 19 21.…”

“…They expressed concern over the process of HPV self-collection at the patient, clinic, and system level from the need for simple HPV self-collection directions in multiple languages, having the staff to track testing, concerns about lab availability to process the test, and finally, to issues around reimbursement. Many of these concerns were echoed in prior healthcare provider studies in Appalachian Ohio, Virginia, and Seattle regarding patients being able to collect the swab correctly, tracking results, the process of delivering the results, and compliance with follow-up 12 21 22…”