Strategic Approaches to Women’s Health: A Systematic Review of Intervention Strategies for Increasing Breast and Gynecological Cancer Screening Uptake

Abstract

Although effective screening methods exist to enable early diagnosis and enhance outcome,
breast and gynecological cancers are still leading causes of morbidity and mortality
in women of the world. But many individual, socioeconomic, cultural and health care
system barriers remain barriers to participation in screening programs. This systematic
review is an analysis of data on interventions to promote breast and gynecological cancer
screening among various female populations. The review is based on the outcomes from
studies examining education programs, reminder systems, provider recommendations,
community outreach, culturally targeted education, and organized, population-based
screening initiatives. Multi-component interventions over the years have shown to be
more effective in increasing screening participation than single interventions because
they help to address awareness, accessibility, and behavioral issues. Further disparities
can be reduced and equitable access to preventive health services can be achieved by
targeting interventions to underserved populations, such as ethnic minorities and women
from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The review also emphasizes the need to integrate
evidence-based implementation strategies into public health policies and clinical practice
to support and improve participation in screening and improve women’s health outcomes.
In summary, the results offer a solid basis for the healthcare sector, researchers, and health
policy makers to design sustainable, population-based health programs that contribute to
increased uptake of breast and gynecological cancer screening and better cancer detection
at an early stage to decrease the burden of preventable cancer.