Dear HIFA colleagues,
Many thanks to all those who contributed during Week 1 of our discussion.
A summary is available here: https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/cervical-cancer-45-summary-week-1
We now move to our focus for Week 2:
Q2. What questions do people commonly ask about cervical cancer screening and treatment?
Several examples have already emerged:
Do I need screening if I feel healthy and have no symptoms?
Will screening be painful?
Can screening or treatment affect fertility or sex life?
Does a positive HPV test mean I have cancer?
If I am diagnosed with cervical cancer, can it be cured?
These are important questions, but there are likely many more.
For example:
What questions do women commonly ask before agreeing to screening?
What questions arise after receiving a screening result?
Are there differences between the questions asked by adolescents, young adults, older women, men, partners or family members?
Are there differences between different countries, or between groups within countries?
Which questions are most difficult for health workers to answer?
Which questions are most influenced by misinformation circulating online or within communities?
Are there questions that women are often reluctant or embarrassed to ask directly?
What questions are specific to particular cultural, religious or social contexts?
What questions do cervical cancer survivors most often hear from others?
Please share examples from your own experience, community, workplace, research or clinical practice. Identifying the most common questions people ask is an important step towards ensuring that everyone has access to the reliable, understandable and trusted information they need to protect their health.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts.
To review past messages: www.hifa.org/read
For an overview of the project and six questions: www.hifa.org/cervicalcancer
Many thanks,
Neil Pakenham-Walsh
HIFA Coordinator
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