How is cervical cancer screening discussed with clients at a sexual health clinic in Melbourne, Australia?
Esha Abraham A B , Christopher K. Fairley
A B , Henrietta Williams A , Anna Morton A , Helen Henzell A , Kate Maddaford A , Rebecca Wigan A , Eric P. F. Chow A B C # * and Tiffany R. Phillips A B #
A Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.
B Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.
C Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.
Sexual Health 19(5) 486-487 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH22093
Submitted: 27 May 2022 Accepted: 31 May 2022 Published: 30 June 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing
Abstract
We conducted a survey among 40 clinicians working at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre in November 2021. We asked clinicians how they discussed cervical screening with their clients. All clinicians used the term ‘Cervical Screening Test (CST)’ when discussing cervical cancer screening with clients. However, 19 clinicians (48%) also used the term ‘Pap smear’, particularly among older women as they were more familiar with Pap smear than CST. Twenty-five (63%) clinicians believed that clients did not understand the difference between Pap smears and CST. Further education is required to improve the understanding between the terminologies.
Keywords: cancer, cervical cancer, gynaecology, HPV, human papillomavirus, prevention, screening, sexual health, women health.
References
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| Women’s experiences of the renewed National Cervical Screening Program in Australia 12 months following implementation: a qualitative study.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 32665351PubMed |
