Dear Grace,
Re: https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/cervical-cancer-92-misinformation-stigm...
Thank you so much for sharing your experience from Tanzania.
You note the importance of "Integrating cervical cancer education into routine healthcare services, most especially the reproductive and maternal health clinics."
This reminds me of the inputs from Frank Brightwell (Dominican Republic) and others on having trusted health workers that women see regularly.
What would you say are the most important things that women should know about cervical cancer?
I imagine this depends on context, but in populations where a majority of women do not attend for screening, perhaps the main thing is to encourage them to get screened and reassure them about any false beliefs they may have?
How can this best be achieved routinely in health care services?
Another thought is your point about 'integration'. Education and information about cervical cancer is part of a package of reproductive health education. In schools, we have seen that cervical cancer is not included, even where reproductive health education exists. When we talk about 'reproductive and maternal health clinics', we presumably mean 'family planning' and 'antenatal and postnatal' clinics? Routine questions about cervical cancer screening would seem to fit particularly well in family planning clinics?
Many women may not have access to such specialised clinics, and may rely on community health workers or other primary health worker. How can they be supported to deliver basic reproductive health education, including informaiton on cervical screening?
I would welcome further inputs, from those who administer to women's health needs and/or provide reproductive health education on a regular basis. Please tell us about your experience and your approach. How could your work be better supported?
Best wisehs, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org