Improving Cervical Cancer Screening Rates in the Primary Care Setting

Abstract

Practice Problem: Cervical cancer screening with Pap is the recommended standard practice for women aged 21 to 65. The project aimed to increase low cervical cancer screening rates at a primary care clinic. PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: (P) In women 21 to 65 years old in the primary care setting (I), does proactive pre-scheduling of cervical cancer screenings (C) compared to current standard practice (O) affect cervical cancer screening rates (T) over eight weeks? Evidence: The evidence strongly supported improving cervical cancer screening among the targeted population. Studies showed that Pap smear screening reduced the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer. Intervention: Evidence-based intervention of screening eligible patients during triage included proactively offering a Pap, scheduling future Pap appointments, and providing gynecology referrals per patients’ preference to women 21 to 65 who needed screening. Outcome: The intervention of a proactive screening approach demonstrated a clinically significant increase in cervical cancer screening rates at the practice site. Conclusion: A structured system of identifying patients in need of cervical cancer screening and implementing a proactive scheduling system improves patient compliance with cervical cancer screenings.