Cervical Screening Study

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Cervical Screening Study: The views and experiences of patients and practitioners regarding cervical screening amongst women (55-64 years old) across Yorkshire and Humber

• IRAS ID

  198284

• Contact name

  Una Macleod

• Contact email

  una.macleod@hyms.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Hull

• Duration of Study in the UK

  2 years, months, days

• Research summary

  Around 3,000 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed each year in the UK. In addition, just under 1,000 women die from cervical cancer each year in the UK (NHS Choices; Macmillan UK). Yorkshire and Humber has the highest incidence rate of cervical cancer in England and cervical cancer mortality rates tend to be higher in the north as compared with the south and east of England (National Cancer Intelligence Network).
  
  The incidence of cervical cancer is highest in women aged 25-49; it then declines, but there is a second peak in incidence in women aged over 70 years. This is thought to be related to a reduction in the uptake of screening in women at the older end of the screening age group.

  This qualitative study will explore cervical screening amongst older women (55-64 years) living in Yorkshire and Humber. We will investigate the views and experiences of women regarding cervical screening (barriers to attending etc), knowledge about cervical cancer and perceptions of personal risk. We will explore the attitudes of healthcare professionals (GPs, sexual health workers) regarding cervical screening in older women. Patient and professional perspectives will be obtained via 60 interviews (conducted via focus groups and in-depth interviews).

  By the project end, we will have developed an intervention for testing within a randomised controlled trial. This will comprise a GP training resource and a screening awareness resource for patients, highlighting the benefits of screening amongst older women. By promoting awareness across patient and GP groups, it is hoped that the research will lead to greater uptake of screening services by older women across Yorkshire and Humber. This may lead to cancerous cells being detected at an earlier rate which will mean earlier rates of diagnosis and, in turn, a better prognosis and treatment outcome.

• REC name

  East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  16/EM/0200

• Date of REC Opinion

  20 May 2016

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion