Barriers and facilitators of cervical cancer screening among female healthcare professionals: a systematic review

Cervical cancer remains as one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women, due to the significant disparities with regard to the implementation of cervical cancer screening programs between the high and low—and middle-income countries. Studies have shown that cervical cancer screening uptake among female healthcare professionals (HCPs) has also been remarkably low. This systematic review aimed to identify the barriers and facilitators that affect the uptake of cervical cancer screening among female HCPs. In this systematic review, we selected a total of 456 articles that were listed in the Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus databases and these articles were published from 2012 to 2025. The inclusion criteria were full-text English articles which discussed barriers and facilitators of cervical cancer screening among HCPs. We also used the Mixed-Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) for quality assessment. Information from these articles was analyzed using a narrative synthesis approach, generating key factors based on the findings from these articles. A total of 18 studies involving 7623 participants met the inclusion criteria. Findings showed that barriers to screening behavior among female HCPs was influenced by individual factors such as anticipated pain and discomfort, shame, fear of results, overall perception of being at low risk due to absence of symptoms, lack of time, low awareness, as well as cultural factors such as differing health beliefs and misconceptions. Other barriers encompass environmental factors such as low support, examiner-related barriers, inadequate facilities, and financial constraints. Conversely, factors that facilitated cervical cancer screening uptake among HCPs were individual factors such as older age group, being married, having multiple children, longer years of practice as HCPs, a family history of cancer, better knowledge of cervical cancer, as well as positive attitudes and beliefs about cervical cancer screening. In addition, institutional support and policies also enhanced the uptake of cervical cancer screening among HCPs. To address these barriers and strengthen facilitators of cervical cancer screening, multifaceted strategies are required, including tailored interventions and strategy development, in order to improve cervical cancer screening uptake among female HCPs. Increasing participation in cervical cancer screening among healthcare professional is important, as HCPs can serve as role models and may increase uptake of cervical cancer screening practices within the wider community. CRD42023454213.