Trauma-informed practice for promotion of cervical cancer screening: an exploration of factors influencing engagement with cervical cancer screening

Background Cervical cancer represents 2% of all female cancers in the UK. Cervical cancer screening saves approximately 4500 annually; the uptake, however, has declined over the last decade. A population theorised to be at particular risk of disengagement is the survivors of sexual violence (SV). This Quality Improvement Project, undertaken as a medical student, was based in Langley Health Centre, a general practice serving a diverse population in Slough, South-East England. Aim Publicly available data revealed that Langley Health Centre was reportedly consistently below the national screening target of 80% of eligible patients. This project aimed to explore this with an emphasis on trauma-informed care. Method Knowledge of factors affecting screening uptake was evaluated amongst staff, revealing common familiarity with the term though many were unaware of relevant resources including the #CheckWithMeFirst campaign by The Survivors Trust. Practice-based data analysis of 160 patients was conducted including people who had disclosed SV. Result Among the patients who had disclosed SV, 25% had not attended any cervical screening. 70% had a recorded smear test, of which 55% were in-date. Among patients not reporting SV, 80% had a recorded smear test, with 55% in-date. Conclusion The following interventions were suggested: to facilitate patient communication and disclosure of needs by utilising existing NHS-developed questionnaire to patients prior to appointment and improve awareness amongst staff regarding trauma-informed care and existing resources created by The Survivors Trust. Application of trauma-informed practice supports survivors and potentially the wider population due its promotion of individualised, patient centred care.