Monday, November 3, 2003

This presentation is part of : Women and Cancer

Barriers to Screening for Cervical Cancer in Young Korean Women

So Mi Park, RN, PhD, Department of Nursing, Wonju College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Wonju, Kwang Won Do, South Korea, SoonBok Chang, RN, PhD, College of Nursing, Yonsei University, Seoul, Seoul, South Korea, Chae Won Chung, RN, PhD, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, seoul, South Korea, and Hee Young Song, RN, PhD, School of nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Learning Objective #1: Understand barriers associated with screening for cervical cancer in Korea
Learning Objective #2: Understand the strategies to facilitate screening for cervical cancer

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify undocumented and specified barriers associated with screening for cervical cancer in Korean young women.

Design: A qualitative study was conducted to explore barriers to screening for cervical cancer.

Sample: Participants were 31 women, aged from 26 to 37 years, with an average age of 33.4(SD=3.74). The groups of participants were made up of peers or friends.

Concept: Barriers are beliefs or perceptions regarding the negative aspects of being screened for cervical cancer.

Methods: Focus groups were utilized to collect data. The discussion was tape-recorded and noted. The data analyzed using the Colazzi method.

Findings: Seven major themes emerged as associated with barriers to screening for cervical cancer. 1) Individual barriers: Feeling that cervical cancer is not related to me, as an individual, Insufficient information about having cervical cancer and Pap smear screening, A negative image of OB-Gyn clinics. 2) Provider - consumer barriers: Having a Pap smear is difficult, Discomfort of having a male physician do screening for cervical cancer, Not being able to talk with health-care provider, Not being treated as a person.

Conclusion: Screening for cervical cancer is a burden for many women as they must expose their genital area and to have their privacy invaded in order to take the screening test. In addition, to be treated as an object for business, rather than as a human - being, is a main interfering factor for women to carry out this preventive health care behavior.

Implication: The nurses must do complete history and give information that annual Pap smears are important. Also nurses must explain the procedure to the patient,reduce stress related to screening, and after the screening informe the patient of the results provide further additional information about cervical cancer.

Back to Women and Cancer
Back to 37th Biennial Convention - Scientific Session
Sigma Theta Tau International