Acceptability of cervical cancer screening using visual inspection with acetic acid and lugol's iodine among women attending the family planning clinic in mulago hospital.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is the commonest malignancy among women in Uganda. Over 80% of patients diagnosed with cervical cancer in Mulago hospital present with advanced disease. Cytology based screening services are not feasible for low resource settings like Uganda. It is proposed that visual inspection with acetic acid and Lugol’s iodine is an alternative method to cytology. There are already programs going on with VIA/VILI but since they are new methods we need to know the acceptability of cervical cancer screening using these methods in Ugandan women. OBJECTIVES: The main objective of the study was to determine acceptability of cervical cancer screening using VIA/VILI among women attending the family planning clinics at mulago hospital. METHODS: It was a cross-sectional study with both quantitative and qualitative approaches. A total of 384 participants were recruited in the study RESULTS: Participants who accepted cervical cancer screening using VIA/VILI were 229. Of these, 209 that is, 91.3% were willing to recommend others for the same service while 223 participants that is 98.7% would return for the same screening if the need arose. 155 participants out of 384 did not accept screening. The reasons for refusal included; fear of undressing, fear of the speculum and fear of results. Findings were similar in the FGD. CONCLUSIONS: Acceptability of cervical cancer screening using VIA/VILI was found to be very high among women attending family planning in Mulago hospital. Some women refuse screening because of fear of instruments, undressing and fear of knowing that they might have cancer.