Apsáalooke women's experiences with Pap test screening.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Disparities
• Indigenous Health

Background:

• Cervical cancer mortality is disproportionately high among Northern Plains Native American women.
• The Messengers for Health project aims to reduce screening barriers and improve knowledge for Apsáalooke (Crow Indian) women.
• This study focuses on patient perceptions of care during Pap tests.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess Apsáalooke women's comfort and care experiences with healthcare providers during Pap tests.
• To identify factors contributing to positive and negative patient-provider interactions.
• To inform strategies for improving cervical cancer screening satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to 101 randomly sampled Apsáalooke women.
• Qualitative and quantitative methods were used for data analysis.
• The survey assessed patient communication and satisfaction with healthcare providers.

Main Results:

• Women reported varied experiences, both positive and negative, with their healthcare providers during Pap tests.
• Positive experiences were linked to provider trustworthiness, information sharing, reassurance, personable demeanor, consistency, confidentiality, and being a female provider.
• Negative experiences included short examination times, lack of a consistent or female provider, and discomfort with nonverbal communication.

Conclusions:

• Addressing communication barriers between patients and providers is essential for improving Pap test satisfaction.
• Continued collaboration between healthcare providers and patients is necessary to enhance the quality of care.
• Improving patient-provider relationships can contribute to increased cervical cancer screening rates.