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. Method: 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. Conclusion: 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 hardestto-reach group. Contexte : Les femmes détenues, insuffisamment examinées, sont plus vulnérables au cancer du col utérin. Nous avons analysé l'incidence d'une intervention de dépistage par test de Papanicolaou effectuée par une infirmière, qui comprenait des séances d'information et des cliniques d'échantillonnage pour le test de Papanicolaou. Méthode : Nous avons comparé les taux de dépistage par test de Papanicolaou chez 650 détenues du Centre correctionnel pour femmes de Burnaby avant et durant la période d'intervention de 20 semaines. Ces taux ont été déterminés en couplant les dossiers du Bureau des affaires correctionnelles sur les détenues et les dossiers des patientes du Programme de dépistage du cancer du col de l'utérus. Nous avons également analysé les associations entre les facteurs sociodémographiques et les taux de dépistage par test de Papanicolaou. Résultats : La proportion de détenues examinées était plus élevée durant la période d'intervention (26,9 %) qu'avant l'intervention (21,0 %) (bien que c