Evaluating the feasibility of using SMS to recruit women for cervical cancer screening in Rwanda: A pilot study

This study evaluates the feasibility and acceptability of using short message service (SMS) as a recruitment strategy for cervical cancer screening in an urban sector of Kigali, Rwanda.

This pilot invited 300 women who had not attended cervical screening during the local campaign and had access to a mobile phone to provide a mobile number for cervical cancer screening invitation. Up to three SMSs were sent out, inviting women to visit a local health center for cervical cancer screening. There, attendance rates were recorded, self-collected vaginal samples for human papillomavirus testing were taken, and a short survey was administered. Those who did not attend received a phone call and were surveyed on reasons for non-attendance. A descriptive analysis was used to detail attendance rates and evaluate survey questions on the perceived feasibility and acceptability of the intervention.

A total of 294 women met the inclusion criteria. Of these women, 86.4% (254/294) attended the health center for cervical cancer screening and 92.9% (236/254) of attendees reported they participated due to the SMS reminder. Survey items evaluating acceptability and feasibility indicated high message comprehension, strong attendance following a single SMS prompt, and high agreement that SMS was a helpful reminder to attend screening. Most non-attendees reported having received the SMSs but not attending due to circumstantial factors.

SMS recruitment was highly feasible and well accepted in this pilot study in an urban sector of Kigali, Rwanda. Future research should aim to understand the efficacy of this strategy compared to usual recruitment methods across diverse settings in Rwanda.