Experiences of women awaiting cervical CANCER screening results from selected hospitals in Accra, Ghana

Abstract Background The rate at which cervical cancer is diagnosed among women worldwide is alarming, nevertheless, millions of women have never undergone cervical cancer screening, and many more with cervical cancer die prematurely without accessibility to quality healthcare or effective treatment....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	BMC public health 2022-08, Vol.22 (1), p.1-1467, Article 1467
Main Authors:	Osei, Evans Appiah, Appiah, Stella, Oti-Boadi, Ezekiel, Hammond, Dorothy, Awuah, Dorothy Baffour, Menlah, Awube, Garti, Isabella, Baidoo, Michael
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Access control Analysis Awaiting Cancer Cancer screening Cervical cancer Cervix Content analysis Data collection Demographic aspects Diagnosis Experiences Face Forecasts and trends Health aspects Health literacy Hospitals Interviews Medical screening Mortality Patient compliance Primary health care Qualitative research Sample size Sampling techniques Screening Sociodemographics Teaching hospitals Women Womens health
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Summary:	Abstract Background The rate at which cervical cancer is diagnosed among women worldwide is alarming, nevertheless, millions of women have never undergone cervical cancer screening, and many more with cervical cancer die prematurely without accessibility to quality healthcare or effective treatment. Women’s experiences following cervical cancer screening have not been extensively studied especially in advancing countries like Ghana. Hence, the researchers aim to explore the experiences of women awaiting cervical cancer results at selected hospitals in Accra. Methods An exploratory-descriptive qualitative design was adopted to purposively sample 48 participants engaged in face-face in-depth interviews, which were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim after. The interviews were guided by semi-structured interviews. Findings The findings revealed 3 themes and 10 subthemes. The themes were pre-screening experience, intra-screening experience, and post-screening experience. Participants narrated the challenges they face before the screening, during the screening, and as they waited for their results to get ready. Despite some challenges reported, most of the participants indicated that they were willing to come for a retesting if recommended. Conclusion In conclusion, participants who have undergone CCS have several experiences that may either motivate or discourage them from subsequent screening. Being aware of such experiences could help the nurses address them in order to increase the interest of the women in CCS.
ISSN:	1471-2458 1471-2458