Background The objective of this study was to explore women’s experiences of a screen-and-treat approach with ablative therapy (referred to by the Spanish acronym TVT-TA) as a method of treatment following a positive HPV test in Iquitos, Peru. Methods A total of 111 in-depth interviews were conducted with 47 HPV positive women who attended the TVT-TA procedure at a primary-level healthcare facility. Interviews were conducted immediately before, immediately after, and six-weeks after TVT-TA. Results Most interviewed women reported experiencing moderate pain during ablative therapy and minimal pain immediately after and six weeks after ablative therapy. Women also stated that the pain was less intense than they had expected. The most common physical after-effects of treatment were bleeding and vaginal odor. Women experienced oscillating emotions with fear upon receiving a positive HPV result, calming after hearing about ablative therapy treatment, worry about pain from the treatment itself, relaxation with counseling about the procedure, and relief following treatment. Conclusions Nearly all participants emphasized that they were pleased with the TVT-TA process even if they had experienced pain during TVT-TA, recommended that TVT-TA be expanded and available to more women, and stated that TVT-TA was faster and easier than expected. This study found that TVT-TA is a feasible and acceptable means of treating HPV according to the women receiving the treatment.

No abstract

International evidence demonstrates the importance of engaging parents in the education of their 'high potential' children, yet

The Unexplained Underperformance Syndrome (UPS) is characterized by a continued decrement in athletic performance, unresolved by two weeks rest (Robson, 2003). This study qualitatively examined psychological factors of potential relevance to UPS, with specific consideration of the consequences of a mentally tough attitude in the interpretation of fatigue Seven elite athletes, clinically diagnosed with UPS or Chronic Fatigue, participated in one-to-one interviews to examine their experience of UPS The results of this study revealed a paradoxical relationship between mental toughness and UPS. Specifically, a mentally tough attitude, deemed desirable in competitive sport, obviated physiological markers of fatigue Furthermore, the results indicated that non-training related stressors appeared to have a pivotal influence on the onset of UPS.

Background The study’s objective was to explore the factors associated with loss to follow-up among women with abnormal cervical cancer screening results in Iquitos, Peru from women’s perspectives. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 screen-positive women who were referred for follow-up care but for whom evidence of follow-up was not found. Interview transcripts were thematically analyzed inductively, and the codes were then categorized using the Health Care Access Barriers Model for presentation of results. Results All interviewed women were highly motivated to complete the continuum of care but faced numerous barriers along the way, including cognitive barriers such as a lack of knowledge about cervical cancer and poor communication from health professionals regarding the process, structural barriers such as challenges with scheduling appointments and unavailability of providers, and financial barriers including out-of-pocket payments and costs related to travel or missing days of work. With no information system tracking the continuum of care, we found fragmentation between primary and hospital-level care, and often, registration of women’s follow-up care was missing altogether, preventing women from being able to receive proper care and providers from ensuring that women receive care and treatment as needed. Conclusions The challenges elucidated demonstrate the complexity of implementing a successful cervical cancer prevention program and indicate a need for any such program to consider the perspectives of women to improve follow-up after a positive screening test.