Interventions to increase cervical screening rates for women with intellectual and developmental disabilities: a...

Background: Women with intellectual and developmental disabilities face barriers to cervical screening. This scoping review charts the literature on interventions designed to improve cervical screening receipt and knowledge in this population. Method: A systematic search of Embase (Elsevier), PubMed.gov, CINHAL (EBSCO), and Scopus (Elsevier) yielded 199 results, six of which met the inclusion criteria of women aged 21-65 years with intellectual and developmental disabilities, intervention studies, and outcomes of cervical screen receipt or knowledge. Results: All interventions, using the socioecological model (SEM) as a framework, reported an increase in receipt or knowledge of cervical screening. Interventions at the individual, interpersonal, and organisational levels of the SEM included education, physical therapy, health assessment programs, provider accompaniment, and screening adaptations. Conclusion: There are interventions that have potential to address disparities in cervical screening for women with intellectual and developmental disabilities. More research would help identify which women would benefit from interventions.