Mobile colposcopy by trained nurses in a cervical cancer screening programme at Battor, Ghana.

Objectives: Cervical precancer screening programs are difficult to establish in low resource settings partly because of a lack of human resource. Our aiming was to overcome this challenge. We hypothesized that this could be done through task shifting to trained nurses. Design: Descriptive retrospective cross-sectional review. Setting: Training was at the Cervical Cancer Prevention and Training Center (CCPTC) and screening was carried out at the clinic and at outreaches / peripheral facilities. Participants: All women who reported to the clinic for screening or were recruited during outreaches. Interventions: All 4 nurses were trained for at least 2weeks (module 1). A total of 904 women were screened by the trained nurses using the EVA system. Quality assurance was ensured. Main outcome measures: Primary screening and follow-up were carried out by the trained nurses with quality assured through image sharing and meetings with peers and experienced gynaecologists. Results: 828 women had primary screening and 76 had follow-up screening. 739 (89.3%) were screened at the clinic and 89 (10.7%) at outreaches/peripheral facilities. Of all screened, 130 (14.5%) had cervical lesions, and 25 (2.8%) were treated, 12 (48.0%) by Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP) performed by a gynaecologist, 11 (44.0%) with thermal coagulation by trained nurses except one, and 2 (8.0%) with cryotherapy by trained nurses. Conclusion: We demonstrate the utility of a model where nurses trained in basic colposcopy can be used to successfully implement a cervical precancer screening and treatment program in low-resource settings. Funding: None indicated.

Application of the hub and spokes model in improving access to cervical cancer screening in Ghana.

Objective: To examine the contribution of lower-level health facilities in increasing access to cervical cancer screening in the North Tongu District. Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. The Cervical Cancer Prevention and Training Centre (CCPTC) of the Catholic Hospital, Battor, served as the hub, and six health facilities (3 health centres and 3 CHPS compounds) served as the spokes. From April 2018 to September 2019, the well-resourced CCPTC trained 6 nurses at selected Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) / Health Centres (HCs) (spokes) to provide cervical cancer screening services. The nurses, after training, started screening with VIA and HPV DNA testing. Participants: A total of 3,451women were screened by the trained nurses. This comprised 1,935 (56.1%) from the hub and 1,516 (43.9%) from the spokes. Main outcome measure: The detection of screen positives. Results: The screen positives were 19.4% (375/1935) at the hub and 4.9% (74/1516) at the spokes. Conclusion: We have demonstrated that a hub and spokes model for cervical cancer screening is possible in limited resource settings. Designating and resourcing a 'hub' that supports a network of 'spokes' could increase women's access to cervical cancer screening. This approach could create awareness about cervical cancer screening services and how they can be accessed. Funding: None declared.

Determining the prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus infection using a novel cervical precancer screening approach in incarcerated women at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison, Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Across Ghana, females comprise 1.2% of the entire prison population (n = 15,463). Cervical cancer screening services are however nonexistent and the prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) and cervical precancer is undocumented. We aimed to screen and treat inmates for cervical precancer and determine the prevalence of hr-HPV using the novel AmpFire HPV detection system combined with colposcopy by trained nurses using a mobile colposcope (the Enhanced Visual Assessment (EVA) system). METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed, involving all incarcerated women at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison, Ghana. After counselling and informed consent, women underwent a structured questionnaire-based interview entered into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Women were co-tested for cervical pre-cancer and hr-HPV by two trained nurses using dry brush cervical samples for 15 hr-HPV types (AmpFire HPV test) after which mobile colposcopy with the EVA system was performed. EVA images were reviewed by a gynaecologist. Frequencies and percentages were used to describe categorical data, while means, standard deviations, medians and interquartile ranges (IQRs) were used to describe continuous data. RESULTS: 75% of the women were convicts with a median sentence of 5 years (IQR: 2-10 years). Their mean age was 41.1 years (standard deviation: 15.5 years, range: 19-97 years). The self-reported prevalence rate of HIV was 13.1% (95% confidence interval (CI): 7.5%-21.9%), all of whom were receiving treatment. The hr-HPV prevalence rate was 47.6% (CI: 36.9%-58.3%) in the general population of imprisoned women and 63.6% (CI: 35.4%-84.8%) among HIV positive women. Six percent (6%) had lesions on the cervix, of which 3.6% were treated with thermal coagulation and 2.4% were treated with loop electrosurgical excision procedure. The average age of hr-HPV positive women was 37.8 years. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high prevalence of hr-HPV infection among women in custody at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison. These women will benefit from structured cervical cancer prevention services, including treatment for abnormalities that are picked up during such screening.