Primary Care Women's Health Screening: A Case Study of a Community Engaged Human Centered Design Approach to...

Area of Science:

• Women's Health
• Primary Care
• Public Health

Background:

• Evidence-based health screenings are crucial for women's primary care and disease prevention.
• Barriers often hinder comprehensive health screenings, leading to the exclusion of critical risks like intimate partner violence (IPV).
• Existing screening tools may not adequately address the multifaceted health needs of diverse female populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply a Human-Centered Design (HCD) approach for co-designing a comprehensive women's health screening tool.
• To collaborate with community partners to enhance the inclusivity and effectiveness of women's health screenings.
• To integrate intimate partner violence (IPV) screening into a newly developed women's health assessment.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a Human-Centered Design (HCD) methodology involving key end-users and community partners.
• Recruited diverse participants: women affected by IPV, Spanish-speaking women, domestic violence organizers, and healthcare staff.
• Conducted three design sessions to refine existing screening tools and incorporate IPV screening.

Main Results:

• Co-designed a 9-topic women's health screening tool through collaboration with 21 participants.
• Successfully integrated intimate partner violence (IPV) screening into the comprehensive tool.
• Identified 'Triple T: time, trust, and talk' as critical factors influencing screening effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• The co-designed screening tool represents a significant step in addressing primary care and community-identified barriers for women's health.
• Future research should investigate facilitators and barriers to implementing the tool across various primary care settings.
• Further examination is needed to prevent stereotype threat and enhance the effectiveness of women's health screenings.