Evaluation of a cervical cancer screening intervention for prison inmates.
BACKGROUND
Female prison inmates are underscreened and are at higher risk of cervical cancer. The impact of a nurse-led Pap screening intervention was examined, which included information sessions and Pap testing clinics.


METHODS
Pap screening rates for 650 inmates at the Burnaby Correctional Centre for Women were compared both before and during the 20-week intervention period. These rates were determined by record linkage of Correction Branch inmate records and Cervical Cancer Screening Program patient records. Associations between socio-demographic factors and Pap screening rates were also examined.


RESULTS
A higher proportion of inmates was screened during the intervention period (26.9%) than during the preintervention period (21.0%) (although the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.06)). Very short-stay inmates were less frequently screened in the preceding two years before the intervention. Inmates with no high school education and longer lengths of incarceration were significantly more likely to receive Pap testing during the intervention period as compared to the preintervention period.


CONCLUSIONS
The nurse-led intervention resulted in a modest improvement in the proportion of inmates receiving Pap screening. Unfortunately, the benefit of the nurse clinician did not reach, to a greater extent, inmates who had not been previously screened or who were inadequately screened. There is need for further work to target this hardest-to-reach group.
Elwood Martin
Ruth
R
Health Care, Burnaby Correctional Centre for Women, Burnaby BC. remartin@interchange.ubc.ca
Hislop
T Gregory
TG
Grams
Garry D
GD
Calam
Betty
B
Jones
Elaine
E
Moravan
Veronika
V
D000328:Adult; D001955:British Columbia; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine / Q000451:nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011329:Prisoners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011330:Prisons / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012042:Registries; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000451:nursing; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000451:nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014932:Women's Health Services / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*