Barriers and facilitators of integrating cervical cancer screening into routine HIV care and acceptability of self-sampling for HPV DNA testing among people with HIV: an exploratory study in southern Ghana

Most participants demonstrated a strong willingness to participate in cervical cancer screening, were motivated by the desire to know their health status, protect themselves, benefit from early detection and access timely treatment. We identified potential for early detection and treatment, improved health outcomes, increased health awareness, better management of multiple health conditions, and empowerment through health knowledge as facilitators. Participants articulated a multifaceted approach to screening integration, conceptualizing leadership as a collaborative effort involving multiple stakeholders, including healthcare providers, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, HIV program coordinators, and researchers. Our finding suggests that women living with HIV (WLWH) were comfortable with trained nurses administering thermal ablation for cervical cancer, even if they had no prior knowledge of the procedure. Acceptability of cervical cancer screening integration into routine care could be high when barriers were addressed.