[Development of Decision Aids for Organized Cervical Carcinoma Screening in Germany]. / Entwicklung von Entscheidungshilfen für das organisierte Zervixkarzinom-Screening in Deutschland.

ABSTRACT

AIM OF THE STUDY The Federal Joint Committee has decided to introduce organized cervical carcinoma screening in 2020. The present work describes the development of decision aids that will be sent to women in this program. METHODS: A systematic search for qualitative studies and surveys was conducted to gather information on experiences, attitudes and information needs. Furthermore, we searched for systematic reviews on advantages and disadvantages of screening. An existing decision analysis for cervical carcinoma screening in Germany was used. The designs were subjected to a qualitative test (focus groups with 26 women and 8 expert interviews), to a quantitative user test (online survey n=2,014 women) and to a public hearing. RESULTS: Most women found the decision aids informative and helpful. The majority would recommend the use of these materials to others. For many women, part of the information was new, although they had been involved in cervical cancer screening for some time. The presentation of the advantages and disadvantages was judged to be balanced. However, 10% changed their attitude towards participation and 70% of women would attend screening. CONCLUSION: The decision aids found a high acceptance among the users. They can help to reduce knowledge deficits on cervical carcinoma screening and support a informed decision making.