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Barriers to cancer screening amongst women with mental health problems
Cathy Owen1, Deslee Jessie, Mirijana De Vries Robbe
1Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Sydney, Canberra Hospital, Woden, ACT, Australia. cathy_owen@dpa.act.gov.au
The involvement of women with mental health problems in cancer screening was examined in order to explore service delivery options among this particular group. Structured interviews were used to identify the utilization of cancer screening and barriers experienced in accessing such screening among this group. The sample of women reported similar utilization rates of cancer screening as the general female population of the same Australian state. However, they identified a number of barriers to effective access to cancer screening. In response to the interview finding that consumers valued screening services from a well-known provider in a familiar environment, a series of women's health clinics were offered within a mental health service. This experience is described and was used to try to better understand barriers to cancer screening experienced by women with mental health problems. The women's health clinics were most efficiently offered in conjunction with hospital-based psychiatric services.
The involvement of women with mental health problems in cancer screening was examined in order to explore service delivery options among this particular group. Structured interviews were used to identify the utilization of cancer screening and barriers experienced in accessing such screening among this group. The sample of women reported similar utilization rates of cancer screening as the general female population of the same Australian state. However, they identified a number of barriers to effective access to cancer screening. In response to the interview finding that consumers valued screening services from a well-known provider in a familiar environment, a series of women's health clinics were offered within a mental health service. This experience is described and was used to try to better understand barriers to cancer screening experienced by women with mental health problems. The women's health clinics were most efficiently offered in conjunction with hospital-based psychiatric services.