Cervical cancer is a global health problem and the most common cancer in women living in sub-
Saharan Africa (SSA). Various barriers to cervical screening have been identified. These include
cytology based screening. Cervical screening by means of visual inspection with 3% to 5%
acetic acid (VIA) can be implemented in a wide range of settings as no laboratory processing is
required. This study was a pilot study to determine the knowledge of women, employed by one
institution in Tshwane, regarding cervical cancer, whether VIA screening would be acceptable,
what the results of such screening would be as well as the practical lessons that could be
learnt to improve the screening process. The research study was an exploratory, descriptive
and contextual survey. The sampling method was convenient (n=31). Data were gathered by
means of self-reports using structured interviews. The results of the screening were documented
on a clinical record. The study provides evidence that VIA screening was acceptable to women.
However the knowledge of women, despite having a higher level of education, was low. Although
one of the participants was VIA positive, none was VIA positive/invasive cancer. Lessons learnt
included that the number of women that could be screened in a given time should not be overestimated and that clinical breast examinations should be offered concurrently with cervical screening campaigns.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:tut/oai:encore.tut.ac.za:d1001062 |
| Date | 18 June 2009 |
| Creators | Maree, JE, Lu, X, Mosalo, A, Wright, SCD |
| Publisher | African Journal of Nursing and Midwifery |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | |
| Rights | African Journal of Nursing and Midwifery |
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