Barriers to breast cancer screening in <scp>A</scp>ustralia: experiences of women with physical disabilities

Peters, Kathleen; Cotton, Antoinette

doi:10.1111/jocn.12696

Cited by 24 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Given the significant clinical experience of participants this would seem to indicate that perhaps all individuals with a disability were not recognised as having a disability. However, this finding resonates with previous literature that highlights that many health care professionals have a limited understanding of disability and the needs of those with a disability (Angus et al, 2012;Peters, 2012;Peters & Cotton, 2015). This finding is significant as a lack of knowledge about disability, and consequently nurses' failure to recognise the needs of women with a disability, provides considerable barriers for women with a disability in accessing preventive health services such as gynaecological health screening (Angus et al, 2012;Diab & Johnston, 2004;Peters & Cotton, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…However, this finding resonates with previous literature that highlights that many health care professionals have a limited understanding of disability and the needs of those with a disability (Angus et al, 2012;Peters, 2012;Peters & Cotton, 2015). This finding is significant as a lack of knowledge about disability, and consequently nurses' failure to recognise the needs of women with a disability, provides considerable barriers for women with a disability in accessing preventive health services such as gynaecological health screening (Angus et al, 2012;Diab & Johnston, 2004;Peters & Cotton, 2015). General practice nurses' understanding of the importance of addressing the specific needs of women with a disability, in relation to screening, can be the first step to fostering engagement with this group and improving screening rates.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

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Health screening for women with physical disability in Australian general practice: A survey

2019

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Background: Early detection of gynaecological issues improves health outcomes and reduces mortality. Such early detection is best achieved via regular, proactive health screening. Like other disadvantaged groups, women with physical disability have much lower gynaecological screening rates than the general population. Aim: The aim of this paper is to explore the current role of general practice nurses in women's health screening for individuals with physical disability. Methods: A national online survey of Australian general practice nurses was conducted. Findings: One hundred and seventy-eight general practice nurses completed the survey. Sixty-one percent reported having experience in working with people with a physical disability. Around one third of participants reported having completed specific education about physical disability. Most general practices implemented strategies to facilitate physical access for those with disability. However, few general practices had a medical records system that enabled identification of physical disability. Thirtyseven participants reported providing women's health screening for 89 women with a physical disability in the 4 weeks prior to the survey. A range of strategies were used to support women during these screening procedures. These could be broadly classified into; a) providing practical assistance to facilitate screening, and b) modifying technique and positioning for comfort. Conclusions: The limited experience with disability amongst an experienced nursing cohort, and the difficulty inherent in identifying those with a disability within recall and reminder systems, adds complexity to the provision of screening for women with a disability. Whilst participants articulated some innovative and creative strategies to assist women with a disability during health screening, enhanced awareness amongst nurses and proactive strategies would likely enhance service accessibility in this vulnerable group.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Health screening for women with physical disability in Australian general practice: A survey

2019

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“…Several studies have evidenced how people with disabilities experience compromised access to cancer screening services. [31][32][33][34] People with disabilities face structural, financial and cultural/attitudinal barriers when they seek to access healthcare. 35 Difficulties in accessing healthcare can be caused by lack of transport, inaccessible buildings, and inadequate training of healthcare professionals, among other factors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Access to healthcare for men and women with disabilities in the UK: secondary analysis of cross-sectional data

Sakellariou

Rotarou

2017

BMJ Open

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ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate differences in access to healthcare between people with and without disabilities in the UK. The hypotheses were that: (1) people with disabilities would be more likely to have unmet healthcare needs and (2) there would be gender differences, with women more likely to report unmet needs.Setting and participantsWe performed secondary analysis, using logistic regressions, of deidentified cross-sectional data from the European Health Interview Survey, Wave 2. The sample included 12 840 community-dwelling people over the age of 16 from across the UK, 5 236 of whom had a disability. The survey method involved face-to-face and telephone interviews.Outcome measuresUnmet need for healthcare due to long waiting lists or distance or transportation problems; not being able to afford medical examination, treatment, mental healthcare or prescribed medicines. All measures were self-reported.ResultsAdjusting for age, sex and other factors, people with a severe disability had higher odds of facing unmet needs. The largest gap was in ‘unmet need for mental healthcare due to cost’, where people with a severe disability were 4.5 times (CI 95% 2.2 to 9.2) more likely to face a problem, as well as in ‘unmet need due to cost of prescribed medicine’, where people with a mild disability had 3.6 (CI 95% 2.2 to 5.9) higher odds of facing a difficulty. Women with a disability were 7.2 times (CI 95% 2.7 to 19.4) more likely to have unmet needs due to cost of care or medication, compared with men with no disability.ConclusionsPeople with disabilities reported worse access to healthcare, with transportation, cost and long waiting lists being the main barriers. These findings are worrying as they illustrate that a section of the population, who may have higher healthcare needs, faces increased barriers in accessing services.

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“…[3, 26] The existence of such barriers can lead to a negative cancer screening experience, which might prevent disabled women from accessing preventive health services even if they are available. [4, 28]…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Utilisation of cancer screening services by disabled women in Chile

Sakellariou

Rotarou

2017

PLoS ONE

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BackgroundResearch has shown that women with disabilities face additional challenges in accessing and using healthcare services compared to non-disabled women. However, relatively little is known about the utilisation of cancer screening services for women with disabilities. This study addresses this gap by examining the utilisation of the Papanicolaou test and mammography for disabled women in Chile.MethodsWe used cross-sectional data, taken from a 2015 nationally-representative survey. Initially, we employed logistic regressions to test for differences in utilisation rates for the Papanicolaou test (66,281 observations) and the mammogram (35,294 observations) between disabled and non-disabled women. Next, logistic regressions were used to investigate the demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related factors affecting utilisation rates for cancer screening services for disabled women (sample sizes: 5,823 observations for the Papanicolaou test and 5,731 observations for the mammogram).ResultsDisabled women were less likely to undergo screening tests than non-disabled women. For the Papanicolaou test and mammography, the multivariable regression models showed that living in rural areas, having higher education, being affiliated with a private health insurance company, giving a good health self-assessment score, and being under medical treatment for other illnesses were associated with higher utilisation rates. On the other hand, being single, inactive with regard to employment, and having a better income were linked with lower utilisation. While utilisation rates for both disabled and non-disabled women have increased since 2006, the utilisation disparity has slightly increased.ConclusionsThis study shows the influence of various factors in the utilisation rates of preventive cancer screening services for disabled women. To develop effective initiatives targeting inequalities in the utilisation of cancer screening tests, it is important to move beyond an exclusively single-disease approach and acknowledge the complexity of the patient population.

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Barriers to breast cancer screening in Australia: experiences of women with physical disabilities

Abstract: By exploring experiences of women with physical disabilities of breast cancer screening, nurses and other health-care professionals can use this to develop and implement optimal approaches, such as collaborative models of care which empower women with disabilities.

Cited by 24 publications

References 21 publications

Health screening for women with physical disability in Australian general practice: A survey

Health screening for women with physical disability in Australian general practice: A survey

Access to healthcare for men and women with disabilities in the UK: secondary analysis of cross-sectional data

Utilisation of cancer screening services by disabled women in Chile

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