Every Woman Matters Program
The prevalence of cervical and breast cancer has been persistent in the developing nations. This has remained so regardless of awareness created on the significance of screening programs. However, the Every Woman Matters Program was instituted to help women earning low incomes. The GAPS structure was used to design a practice-based mechanism to isolate and minimize obstacles hindering the provision of cervical and breast cancer detection services. The study was multi-disciplinary in nature encompassing seven principle care facilities. A nurse was recruited as a research assistant charged with the responsibility of gathering data. The research assistant also assisted in the intervention procedures in all sites (Feresu, Zhang, Puumala, Ullrich & Anderson, 2008).
The qualitative data was obtained through in-depth interviews of medical practitioners. Other sources also included field notes, key informant interviews and patient recollections. This data was collected to analyze the process of mammogram and Papanicolaou service provision. It was also used to establish the factors which facilitated or acted as obstacles to screening, and the probable areas that required transformations. Each of the methods used had certain commonalities such as, establishing screening databases. Some of the significant differences included practice contexts. Regardless of using the GAPS model, as well as a monetary inducement to attract “buy-in” from health facilities and the workforce, development was hard to come by in all practices except two. The dynamic nature of each practice context and their influence on transformation cannot be misjudged. Private practice providers and workers are usually ignorant of the potential problems and are incapable of handling them (Backer, Geske, McIlvain, Dodendorf & Minier, 2005).
This program was not effective because the participating practices had several issues challenging them. For instance, the staffs in the first practice were inclined towards the financial benefits that the program would bring rather than the success of the program. Since the program was cost free, they may have lacked the incentive to make sure the projected succeeded. The second practice had management conflicts between the physician and the staff. The staffs were not enthusiastic about the program. The third and fifth practices had significant financial problems. It was relatively new and lacked qualified medical staff who were eligible to practice in the US, they were mainly immigrant unlicensed personnel. The fourth practice was predominantly disorganized causing lack of coordination. In the sixth and seventh practices, there were some conflict and resistance from the medical practitioners in one way or the other. They were also located in rural areas with a challenge of financial resources. The study relied on secondary data from the accounts of medical practitioners and not the patients (Backer, Geske, McIlvain, Dodendorf & Minier, 2005).
Comparison of other studies
In a study conducted by Jia et al. (2013), the main objective was to investigate whether screening was an efficient strategy of managing the occurrence and impermanence of cervical cancer. However, the enrollment and screening programs in developing nations are way below the satisfactory levels, particularly in rural locations. The study was conducted in the county of Wufeng, which has a relatively high prevalence of cervical cancer. The survey’s objective was to explore issues related to the screening of cervical cancer. It also explored factors which influence the willingness of women in the county to accept screening programs. The study employed a cross-sectional analysis of women to identify their perceptions in relation to screening. The barriers associated, and demographic characteristics were also investigated. The study observed that women who readily accepted to go through the screening program were fairly knowledgeable. The study was successful because it had the full backing of all relevant authorities, and it made use of a large sample population. Another reason is that the study made use of indirect questions in the questionnaire during the direct interviews to avoid the cultural barriers associated with discussing cervical cancer. Only willing respondents went through the screening process. Informed consent was obtained before the interviews. The survey also made use of a cross-sectional design of data analysis. A non-probability sampling method was employed where respondents were recruited from one door to the next. The study also made use of a logistic regression data analysis technique to compare the variables of the survey.
In another study conducted by Minjee, Eun-Cheol, Hoo-Sun, Jeoung, Ki Bong & Tae Hyun, (2013), they evaluated the factors and processes that influenced the transformation of cervical cancer screening programs in Korea. It was previously noted that screening examinations were particularly effective in the containment of cervical cancer. A Pap smear program has been running in the nation for almost forty years. The health ministry made a decision to increase the coverage of free screening programs. The study made use of several data collection techniques such as health questionnaires, health examination, and nutritional surveys. Most of the data collected was obtained through self-administered questionnaires. Various logistic regression evaluation techniques were carried out to determine the association between various variables. These variables included the socioeconomic capacity of women, and enrollment in cervical cancer screening programs. The study was successful because it offered free screening services to a wide cross-section of the population covered by the National Health Insurance (NHI). The study used secondary data from the records obtained from the Korean National Health Insurance (NHI). Data was also obtained from the National Cancer Screening Program (NCSP).
Conclusion
As a nurse leader, I will organize free cervical cancer screening initiatives on a quarterly basis. I will arrange for awareness campaigns where women can obtain knowledge and information about cervical cancer, and the significance of early detection and prevention. This will empower women to seek professional assistance from health care institutions. Provision of free vaccination services will also boost the follow-up program.
References
Backer, E. L., Geske, J. A., McIlvain, H. E., Dodendorf, D. M., & Minier, W. C. (2005). Improving female preventive health care delivery through practice change: An Every Woman Matters study. Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, 18(5), 401–408.
Feresu, S. A., Zhang, W., Puumala, S. E., Ullrich, F., & Anderson, J. R. (2008). Breast and cervical cancer screening among low-income women in Nebraska: findings from the Every Woman Matters program, 1993–2004. Journal of health care for the poor and underserved, 19(3), 797-813.
Jia, Y., Li, S., Yang, R., Zhou, H., Xiang, Q., Hu, T., &… Feng, L. (2013). Knowledge about Cervical Cancer and Barriers of Screening Program among Women in Wufeng County, a High-Incidence Region of Cervical Cancer in China. Plos ONE, 8(7), 1-7.
Minjee, L., Eun-Cheol, P., Hoo-Sun, C., Jeoung A, K., Ki Bong, Y., & Tae Hyun, K. (2013). Socioeconomic disparity in cervical cancer screening among Korean women: 1998-2010. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 1-8.