Cervical Cancer Screening Utilization and Barriers to Uptake in Ethiopia

Background Cervical cancer (CCa) is the second most common type of cancer and a leading cause of death among adult women in Ethiopia. However, at the moment, there is a lack of evidence that can be generalizable as a whole to the country regarding the uptake of cervical cancer screening. Objective The aim of this review was to assess the pooled estimated uptake of CCa and to identify the major barriers to cervical cancer screening (CCS) uptake among adult women in Ethiopia. Method The review protocol was registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) with a registration number of CRD42022353954. The data were searched electronically using Google Scholar, PubMed, Medline, and Web of Science search engines. The heterogeneity of the literature was assessed using Cochran’s (Q) test and Higgin’s and Thomson’s (I 2 ) statistic. The Rosenthal approach, Fail-safe N method, Egger’s test with a P -value