Access to cervical screening among women living with HIV (v 1)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Factors influencing access to cervical screening among women living with HIV in the UK: a qualitative study
IRAS ID
157172
Contact name
Victoria Johnston
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Research summary
Cervical cancer is the 11th commonest cancer among women in the UK. The national cervical screening programme aims to reduce cervical cancer by using a national recall system to invite women (aged 25-64 years) to attend their general practitioners (GPs) for cervical screening every 3-5 years. A swab from the cervix is taken to look for pre-cancerous cells and human papilloma virus (HPV is a virus associated with cervical cancer).
Women living with HIV are at higher risk of infection with HPV and cervical cancer than HIV-negative women. Annual screening is recommended; however annual invites are not incorporated into the national recall system. Therefore HIV clinics often rely on integrated clinical care pathways with GPs whereby reminders about annual screening are included in GP correspondence and patients are reminded to visit their GP for screening. Little is known about the factors which influence patients access to cervical screening through this integrated clinical care pathway. Patients’ knowledge and understanding about the need for cervical screening, their past experiences of cervical screening and of accessing GP services are all likely to influence their engagement in this pathway.
This study aims to use interviews and focus groups with women with HIV to explore their understanding of cervical screening and the factors influencing access to screening. Women, aged 25-64 years, will be recruited from the HIV clinic at North Middlesex Hospital. The views of women who have been screened within the last 12 months and those who have never been screened or not screened recently will be sought. The interviewer will conduct approximately 8-10 one-on-one interviews with participants using a topic guide. A focus group discussion (~5 participants) will be conducted towards the end of the study as a means of validating the key themes which emerged during the interviews.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/YH/1062
Date of REC Opinion
4 Jul 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion