Using Diversity Interventions to Increase Cervical Screening of Lesbian and Bisexual Women

Abstract

Despite increasing recognition and acceptance in many areas, lesbians, gay men, and bisexual people are still unnoticed service users whose needs the National Health Service (NHS) has not recognized and served well. This article reports the first stages of a small‐scale, practitioner‐led action research study undertaken to increase access to cervical screening for lesbian and bisexual women by planning and delivering service enhancements following in‐depth individual and small‐group interviews with local lesbians and bisexual women. These interviews provided rich data that provided insight into the women's health beliefs and experiences related to cervical screening. These experiences directly informed the enhancements made to cervical screening services. The authors describe the factors that made this action research successful, which may have multiple applications across other diversity interventions.