title: Increased uptake of cervical screening by women with HIV infection in Auckland regardless of ethnicity, requirement for an interpreter or level of education.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Current guidelines recommend that women with HIV infection receive annual cervical smears.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated the uptake of annual cervical smears by women with HIV infection under the care of the Infectious Disease Service at Auckland City Hospital. In an attempt to identify potential barriers to regularly receiving an annual cervical smear, we invited the women to complete a questionnaire. The responses from women who had regularly received an annual cervical smear were compared with those who had not.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportion of women who had received a cervical smear increased from 44% in 2001, to 73% in 2010 (p=0.001). Ninety-three women (76%) completed the study questionnaire. No statistically significant differences were found in the questionnaire responses between the women who had regularly received an annual cervical smear and those who had not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proportion of women in this cohort who received a cervical smear in 2010 is comparable with other studies of women with HIV infection in New Zealand and overseas. We have not been able to identify barriers that prevent women with HIV infection in Auckland regularly receiving an annual cervical smear. We plan to encourage women who have not received a cervical smear in the previous 2-year period to have a cervical smear performed when they attend the Infectious Disease Clinic, and will continue to notify the National Cervical Screening Programme that all women who are newly diagnosed with HIV infection should have an annual recall code attached to future cervical smear reports. We expect that these interventions will further increase the proportion of women with HIV infection in Auckland who receive an annual cervical smear.
authors.affiliation: Infectious Disease Service, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.affiliation: Infectious Disease Service, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Rupert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Handy
authors.affiliation: Infectious Disease Service, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ingram
authors.affiliation: Infectious Disease Service, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Mitzi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nisbet
authors.affiliation: Infectious Disease Service, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ritchie
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Infectious Disease Service, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand. sbriggs@adhb.govt.nz.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Briggs
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003144:Communication Barriers; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D065006:Papanicolaou Test / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014175:Translating; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult