1. Expanding Cervical Cancer Screening and Treatment in Tanzania: Stakeholders' Perceptions of Structural Influences on Scale-Up.
- Author
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McCree, Renicha, Giattas, Mary Rose, Sahasrabuddhe, Vikrant V., Jolly, Pauline E., Martin, Michelle Y., Usdan, Stuart Lawrence, Kohler, Connie, and Lisovicz, Nedra
- Subjects
CERVIX uteri tumors ,FOCUS groups ,HEALTH attitudes ,HEALTH services accessibility ,INTERVIEWING ,MEDICAL care use ,MEDICAL screening ,RESEARCH funding ,STATISTICAL sampling ,QUALITATIVE research ,THEMATIC analysis ,DATA analysis software ,DIAGNOSIS ,TUMOR treatment - Abstract
Tanzania has the highest burden of cervical cancer in East Africa. This study aims to identify perceived barriers and facilitators that influence scale-up of regional and population-level cervical cancer screening and treatment programs in Tanzania. Convenience sampling was used to select participants for this qualitative study among 35 key informants. Twenty-eight stakeholders from public-sector health facilities, academia, government, and nongovernmental organizations completed in-depth interviews, and a seven-member municipal health management team participated in a focus group discussion. The investigation identified themes related to the infrastructure of health services for cervical cancer prevention, service delivery, political will, and sociocultural influences on screening and treatment. Decentralizing service delivery, improving access to screening and treatment, increasing the number of trained health workers, and garnering political will were perceived as key facilitators for enhancing and initiating screening and treatment services. In conclusion, participants perceived that system-level structural factors should be addressed to expand regional and population-level service delivery of screening and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2015
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