What young women (aged 24-29 years) in Australia think about self-collection for cervical screening: a brief report

Abstract

Background: In mid-2022 Australia's National Cervical Screening Program made self-collection of a vaginal sample an option for screening for young women or people with a cervix aged 25 to 29 years for the first time. This study explored what young women thought about, and wanted to know about, self-collection, and what their future screening preferences are. Methods: Young women (n = 21), aged 24-29 years, were recruited through social media. Semi-structured interviews explored screening history, screening preferences and thoughts about self-collection. Data were analysed using an a priori coding framework informed by the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability. Results: Young women valued the addition of self-collection to the national cervical screening program, believing it to be less invasive and more convenient. However, they also valued the choice to opt for a clinician-collected specimen if preferred. Conclusions: Self-collection is a valuable addition to the National Cervical Screening Program. This study suggests that continued efforts are needed to raise awareness of its availability, and improve understanding about its accuracy, the ease of collection, that you still need to engage with a primary healthcare service to access it and that you can still opt for a clinician-collected test.