Amiah Thomas
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Diane Harper
Co-Presenter: Musani, Bushra
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Family Medicine / Medicine
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Oral5
Session: Session 2 – 11am – 11:50am
Room: Breakout Room 3
Authors: Bushra Musani, Martha Alves, Amiah Thomas
Presenter: 2
Abstract
Cervical cancer is known to be an extremely preventable and treatable cancer. Despite this, it was responsible for more than 318,000 deaths in 2018 (WHO). Regular screening has been a foundational component of cervical cancer prevention efforts; however, for many women, receiving a Pap smear is seen as an invasive screening technique that results in many being deterred from getting screened due to discomfort. In the Harper Lab, our study focuses on presenting women with physical disabilities with alternative home-based cervical cancer screening options as a way to improve the accessibility and acceptability of screening. Our study group consists of individuals trying four different HPV self-sampling kits (2 vaginal and 2 urine) and determining which kit they preferred the most through a series of qualitative interviews. An analysis of these interviews will allow us to understand the patients’ prior history with cervical cancer screenings, their preference of home-based screening versus traditional Pap-based screening, and specific kit preferences. This study is part of a growing research field. Understanding how patients feel in regards to these specific aspects helps us gain insight on how home-based screenings impact accessibility and will aid in future research regarding our next sampling group. Ultimately, this research will contribute to mounting evidence to change clinical guidelines to make cervical cancer screening more accessible and feasible to prevent high levels of mortality.
Biomedical Sciences
