Abstract
Aim: To establish the perceived barriers and perspectives of women who either do not attend or postpone cervical cancer screening.
Background: Cervical cancer is primarily caused by a persistent infection of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), however, it is almost entirely preventable through HPV prophylactic vaccines and cervical cancer screening. Currently, cervical screening coverage of eligible women are declining and there is still a subset of women who chose not to attend or postpone screening.
Design: Systematic qualitative literature review.
Data Sources: CINAHL, Medline, Emcare, Embase and Psych Info.
Methods: This review followed the steps described by Whittemore and Knafl (2005). Thematic analysis was carried out following the method by Braun and Clarke (2006). Critical appraisal was carried out using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research.
Results: A total of 19 primary qualitative research studies were included in this review. Five themes emerged from the data which contributed to barriers of cervical cancer screening; awareness, psychosocial, culture, health professionals and practical barriers. These barriers were interconnected and appeared in all studies included in this review.
Conclusion: The themes which emerged through this review showed that the healthcare systems and its workforce are partially responsible for women not attending cervical screening. It is therefore the role of the healthcare systems to make substantial changes in their approaches to provide equitable access to cervical cancer screening as well as equitable services to its patients.