Breast and cervical cancer screening for women with physical disabilities: A qualitative study of experiences and barriers

Aim To determine the experiences of women with physical disabilities regarding the barriers to their participation in breast and cervical cancer screening. Design Qualitative descriptive study. Method Sixteen women who use wheelchairs were recruited. Data were collected via semi-structured face-to-face interviews between January - March 2017. Interviews were transcribed and data were analysed thematically. Results Three main themes were uncovered: (a) Personal factors; such as lack of knowledge, fear and embarrassment, feeling anxious about the examination process and dependency on others; (b) Environmental and structural factors; and (c) expectations and suggestions of women with disabilities to enable their participation in screening. Conclusion The participation rate of women with physical disabilities in screening is low. The participation of women with disabilities in breast and cervical cancer screening may increase if physical barriers to accessing healthcare services are removed, appropriate and less time-consuming examination conditions are met, and healthcare personnel are informed about the needs of persons with disabilities. Impact Knowing the barriers for women with physical disabilities to participate in cancer screening can help health professionals develop new procedures to increase their participation to cancer screening. Women with physical disabilities encountered various barriers such as; lack of knowledge, fear and embarrassment, feeling anxious about the examination process and dependency on others, access to the healthcare services, environmental, physical limitations, and inadequate knowledge of healthcare professional about their disability. This study will guide healthcare professionals in developing strategies to increase the participation of women with physical disabilities in screening.