Women's Health: Role of Community Health Nurses to Screen for Cervical Cancer - A Case Report

Sharmila A

Abstract: Promoting Women's Health is important to achieve the universal health coverage as it encompasses the physical, reproductive as well as the mental health of women across the entire life from childhood to older age. Gender norms and inequalities affect access to care and outcomes. The unsafe work conditions and gender-based violence worsens the physical and the mental health. Community Health Nurses function in the community preventing the diseases and promoting the health of the individuals and families. As there is a paradigm shift from communicable diseases to non-communicable diseases globally, the need for cost-effective screening tests becomes an important tool in diagnosing the diseases especially in the rural areas of the developing countries like India. The Community Health Nurses are empowered to do the screening tests for cervical cancer like VIA (Visual Inspection under Acetic acid) Vili, and for HPV, especially by motivating the women to undergo the screening tests through health education. This manuscript describes in detail, about the need for empowering Community Health Nurses to motivate the women for cervical cancer screening by providing health education or behaviour change communication, performing screening methods, providing mental health care, referring for specialized clinical care and following them up in the community.

Keywords: Women's health, Empowering community health Nurses, Screening tests, Health Education