“The problem is not detection, it is treatment”: exploring why women needing pre-cervical cancer care are lost to follow-up at the hospital in Iquitos, Peru
Despite an overall increase in follow-up for HPV-positive women since the implementation of the new HPV-based screen-and-treat program, women suspicious for cervical cancer are still being lost to follow-up after being referred to the hospital. Systems-level improvements should focus on improving information about patient flow across the continuum of care for health providers and hospital staff (who make appointments), strengthening referral systems between primary and tertiary level providers through an integrated patient registry, improving health education on HPV and screening for patients, and establishing a patient navigation system.
Authors
- Graciela Meza‐Sánchez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5752-8824)
- Javier Vásquez Vásquez
- Lauren Nussbaum
- Li Ping Wong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0107-0532)
- Alex C. Blum
- Luis Castillo Córdova (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8865-1008)
- Valerie A. Paz‐Soldán (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1065-4919)
- Reyles Ríos Reátegui
- E. Jennifer Ríos López
- J. Kathleen Tracy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0133-6086)
- Karina Gonzales Díaz
- Joanna Brown
- Rachel M. Morse (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6367-756X)
- Cristina Hidalgo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5505-7539)
- Renso López Liñán
- Rachael Tessema
Institutions
- University of Vermont (US)
- Tulane University (US)
- Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana (PE)
- Prisma (PE)
- Dirección Regional de Salud del Callao (PE)
- Universidad Particular de Iquitos (PE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMC Health Services Research
- Published
- 2025-04-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-12685-x
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Cervical Cancer and HPV Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.71
Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Cancer Institute
- Fogarty International Center