Barriers to follow-up after an abnormal cervical cancer screening result and the role of male partners: a qualitative study.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in Malawi, but preventable through screening. Malawi primarily uses visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) for screening, however, a follow-up for positive screening results remains a major barrier, in rural areas. We interviewed women who underwent a community-based screen-and-treat campaign that offered same-day treatment with thermocoagulation, a heat-based ablative procedure for VIA-positive lesions, to understand the barriers in accessing post-treatment follow-up and the role of male partners in contributing to, or overcoming these barriers.

Methods

We conducted in-depths interviews with 17 women recruited in a pilot study that evaluated the safety and acceptability of community-based scree

SUBMITTER: Chapola J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8442050 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature