Challenges regarding the implementation of cervical cancer screening guidelines in Limpopo province, South Africa

African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Challenges regarding the implementation of cervical cancer screening guidelines in Limpopo province, South Africa
 
Creator Ngambi, Doris Ramathuba, Dorah U.
 
Subject — cervical cancer; challenges; professional nurses; implementation; public health institutions; policy; screening
Description Background: The World Health Organization’s (WHO) call to eliminate cervical cancer is essential in improving structures and processes at primary healthcare facilities by galvanising change in providing cervical cancer screening services.Aim: The main objective of this study was to explore challenges affecting the implementation of cervical cancer screening guidelines in selected districts in Limpopo Province.Setting: The study was carried out at primary health care services (PHCs) in Vhembe and Mopani districts, Limpopo province.Methods: Qualitative non-experimental research design of an exploratory, descriptive and contextual nature of a qualitative paradigm to understand cervical cancer screening programme challenges from healthcare professionals’ perspectives. The study population comprised two males and 16 female professional registered nurses working in Limpopo province’s PHC services. The sample size was 18 professional nurses. A face-to-face interview guided by unstructured questionnaires was undertaken to elicit information regarding the implementation of cervical cancer screening services. Captured data were analysed using Tesch’s open-coding method.Results: The study revealed that the cervical cancer guidelines were not effectively implemented as there were contradictions and gaps when applying the guidelines about the management of HIV and AIDS, age restrictions and gestation. Furthermore, structural factors contributed to the inadequacy rate and failure to reach the set targets.Conclusion: Primary health care is an essential health care and human right; therefore, the government should ensure that guidelines and policies are supported financially and that professional nurses are capacitated for the efficient implementation of services.Contribution: Addressing the inequalities in the implementation of social policies for the prevention of cervical cancer prevention and improving the nurses’ knowledge and practice behaviour regarding cervical cancer prevention are imperative.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2024-07-30
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — —
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/phcfm.v16i1.4487
 
Source African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine; Vol 16, No 1 (2024); 7 pages 2071-2936 2071-2928
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4487/7424 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4487/7425 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4487/7426 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4487/7427
 
Coverage South Africa — —
Rights Copyright (c) 2024 Doris Ngambi, Dorah U. Ramathuba https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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