“We don’t have up to date knowledge about the disease” Practical challenges encountered in the delivery of cervical cancer screening in Iraq

Ali, Suhailah and Clark, Maria and Skirton, Heather and Donaldson, Craig (2021) “We don’t have up to date knowledge about the disease” Practical challenges encountered in the delivery of cervical cancer screening in Iraq. European Journal of Cancer Care. ISSN 0961-5423

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Abstract

Objective: This qualitative study explored the lived experience of medical doctors in delivering cervical cancer screening in a city in Iraq.
Methods: An applied grounded theory approach explored the reported experiences of doctors in the field. A purposive sample of 12 gynaecologists and one general practitioner (GP) working in two main hospitals participated: Semi-structured interviews took place from June to September 2015. Thematic coding of data was peer reviewed and included participant reading of transcripts and translations from Arabic to English. Theory generation involved synthesis of a prior literature review and interview findings.
Results: Gynaecologist and GP experiences showed overwhelming gaps in cervical cancer experience and screening. Iraqi women mainly presented for help with late stage cancer. Practical barriers included cultural stigma, low priority for women’s health needs, lack of knowledgeable leadership and perceived shortage of adequately trained staff.
Conclusion: There is an urgent need for culturally appropriate cervical cancer prevention policies and strategies in Iraq, focused on evidence-based population-based cervical screening to identify and prevent advanced cervical cancer among women. Regional educational initiatives should be encouraged and primary health care systems supported to undertake screening.
Key words: Cervical cancer, Screening, Health system, Barriers, Iraq, Medical education,

Item Type: Article
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1111/ecc.13457
Dates:
DateEvent
12 April 2021Accepted
1 May 2021Published Online
Uncontrolled Keywords: Cervical cancer, Cancer screening, Iraq
Subjects: CAH02 - subjects allied to medicine > CAH02-05 - medical sciences > CAH02-05-01 - medical technology
Divisions: Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences > School of Nursing and Midwifery
Depositing User: Maria Clark
Date Deposited: 15 Apr 2021 16:02
Last Modified: 12 Jan 2022 11:27
URI: https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/11527

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