Screening of cervical cancer among women with physical disabilities: evaluation of health services

The objective of this study was to analyze how cervical cancer screening is performed in women with physical disabilities in primary health care services. This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, carried out in 13 cities in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. The sample consisted of 53 nurses working in services that perform screening for cervical cancer, responsible for collecting samples for cytopathological examination. For data collection, an approved questionnaire was used, consisting of four domains and 34 items that assess human resources, physical resources, organization of service and assistance, and health education. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated to measure the internal consistency of the questionnaire items. As for the questionnaire scores, the lowest average was obtained in domain 4 (health education) (35.2%) and the highest average in domain 1 (human resources) (90.1%). The internal consistency of the questionnaire was considered satisfactory (Cronbach's alpha equal to 0.841). Iems related to the continuing education of health professionals and access to structures and instruments of the health services need to be improved for the inclusion and comprehensiveness of women's health care in the context of cervical cancer screening.