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Objective: To understand the effect of changing from cytology-based to primary HPV screening on the positive predictive value (PPV) of colposcopy referrals for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in a cohort offered HPV vaccination. Design: Retrospective pre/post observational cohort study. Setting: Scotland. Population or sample: 2193 women referred to colposcopy between September 2019 and February 2020 from cytology-based screening and between September 2020 and February 2021 from primary high-risk HPV (hrHPV) screening. Methods: Calculating positive predictive values (PPVs) for two cohorts of women; one having liquid-based cytology screening and the other, the subsequent hrHPV cervical screening as a pre/post observational study. Main outcome measures: Positive predictive values of LBC and hrHPV cut-offs for colposcopy referral for CIN at colposcopy. Results: Three papers fitted our criteria; these reported results only for cytology-based screening. The PPV was lower for women in HPV-vaccinated cohorts indicating a lower prevalence of disease. Vaccination under the age of 17 had the lowest PPV reported. Scottish colposcopy data concerning hrHPV and cytology showed a non-significant difference between PPV (17.5%, 95% CI 14.3–20.7, and 20.6, 95% CI 16.7–24.5, respectively) for referrals with a cut-off of low grade dyskaryosis (LGD); both met the standard set of 8–25%. The hrHPV PPV (66.7, 95% CI 56.8–76.6) was comparable to cytology (64.1, 95% CI 55.8–72.4) for referrals with a cut-off of high grade dyskaryosis (HGD) but neither met the standard set of 77–92%. Conclusions: Current literature only provides PPVs for LBC and, overall, the vaccinated cohort had lower PPVs. Only LG dyskaryosis met PHE criteria. The PPV for HPV-vaccinated women undergoing either LBC or HR-HPV screening were not statistically different. However, similar to papers in the current literature, HG dyskaryosis (HGD) PPVs of both techniques did not meet the PHE threshold of 76.6–91.6% outlined in the cervical standards data report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study investigated levels of trust and attributions of blame in connection with a cervical screening programme following a controversy related to the programme's audit, incorporating an experimental test of the effectiveness of new information materials., Design: We compared responses in Ireland (N = 872) to equivalent responses in Scotland (N = 400). Participants in Ireland were randomly assigned to either a treatment group that received the information materials or a control group that did not. Participants then responded to questions about their trust in cervical screening and to whom they would attribute blame in a range of scenarios describing women diagnosed with cervical cancer between screening rounds., Results: Results showed that the control group in Ireland had lower trust and attributed higher blame towards screening services than participants in Scotland. However, exposure to information materials in the treatment group improved trust and reduced blame., Conclusions: The findings suggest that public controversies influence perceptions of screening programmes and underscore the importance of transparent, choice-based communication in mitigating these effects. The findings have valuable implications for screening services worldwide as all screening programmes will have associated false negative and false positive results., (© 2024 The Authors. British Journal of Health Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.)

Background: The introduction of screening in the UK and other high‐income countries led to a significant decrease in the incidence of cervical cancer and increase in survival rates. Minority ethnic groups are often underrepresented in screening participation for reasons that are poorly understood. Objective: To explore experiences of cervical screening participation and non‐participation of women from minority ethnic populations in Scotland and gain insights to support the development of interventions that could potentially support screening participation and thereby reduce inequalities. Design: Qualitative comparison group study using in‐depth, semi‐structured individual interviews that were thematically analysed. Setting and participants: This study took place in Scotland. Fifty women were purposively sampled from four ethnic minority groups: South Asian; East European; Chinese; and Black African or Caribbean. White Scottish women were also interviewed. Results: Many experiences described were common regardless of ethnicity, such as difficulties managing competing priorities, including work and care responsibilities. However, important differences existed across the groups. These included going abroad for more frequent screening, delayed introduction to screening and not accessing primary care services, language difficulties in health‐care settings despite proficiency in English and not being sexually active at screening commencement. Experiences of racism, ignorance and feeling shamed were also reported. Conclusions: Key differences exist in the experience of minority ethnic groups in Scotland. These offer potential opportunities to reduce disparity and support screening participation including maximizing co‐incidental interactions and developing outreach work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Scotland, invitations and results for cervical screening are sent by post. We ask the question: is this an effective means of communication in the 21st century? Consideration of other ways of communicating with women may help to increase acceptability of the cervical screening programme. Objective: To explore perspectives of screening‐eligible women, regarding methods for communication of invitations and results from the cervical screening programme to improve acceptability. Methods: A qualitative study design using semi‐structured face‐to‐face or telephone interviews with women aged 25‐65 years. Thirty interviews were directed using visual cues to generate discussion. Interviews were audio‐recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis of the data was conducted using a Framework approach. Results: The main advantage of the postal system is its perceived formality; however, its lack of speed was a concern. Advantages of e‐communication included speed and convenience; however, concerns such as lack of confidentiality and access were mentioned. Telephone communication was deemed impractical, while face‐to‐face communication was highly regarded. Furthermore, the majority of participants felt screening appointments set at a specific date and time may improve uptake. Overall, participants believed there is no universal solution regarding the issue of communication. Conclusion: At present, the postal system may be an appropriate method for invitation and results for cervical screening; however, there may be greater scope for preference of communication to improve the acceptability of the screening programme to women. The authors describe a qualitative study of women eligible for cervical screening. The study sought to explore perspectives regarding communication of both the invitations and results, in order to improve acceptability of the screening programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine whether human papillomavirus (HPV) immunisation has affected the prevalence of HPV genotypes and colposcopic features of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in young women referred for colposcopy.Design: A two-centre observational study including vaccinated and unvaccinated women.Setting: Colposcopy clinics serving two health regions in Scotland, UK.Population: A total of 361 women aged 20-25 years attending colposcopy following an abnormal cervical cytology result at routine cervical screening.Methods: Cervical samples were obtained from women for HPV DNA genotyping and mRNA E6/E7 expression of HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, and 45. Demographic data, cytology, and histology results and colposcopic features were recorded. Chi-square analysis was conducted to identify associations between vaccine status, HPV genotypes, and colposcopic features.Main Outcome Measures: Colposcopic features, HPV genotypes, mRNA expression, and cervical histology.Results: The prevalence of HPV 16 was significantly lower in the vaccinated group (8.6%) compared with the unvaccinated group (46.7%) (P = 0.001). The number of cases of CIN2+ was significantly lower in women who had been vaccinated (P = 0.006). The HPV vaccine did not have a statistically significant effect on commonly recognised colposcopic features, but there was a slight reduction in the positive predictive value (PPV) of colposcopy for CIN2+, from 74% (unvaccinated) to 66.7% (vaccinated).Conclusions: In this group of young women with abnormal cytology referred to colposcopy, HPV vaccination via a catch-up programme reduced the prevalence of CIN2+ and HPV 16 infection. The reduced PPV of colposcopy for the detection of CIN2+ in women who have been vaccinated is at the lower acceptable level of the UK national cervical screening programme guidelines.Tweetable Abstract: Reduction of hrHPV positivity and CIN in immunised women consistent with lower PPV of colposcopy for CIN2+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the need for the healthcare industry in Great Britain to improve the access of women with learning disabilities to cervical screening. Such women fail to access cervical screening services due to several barriers including the inflexibility of appointment times, the attitudes of care workers and staff, and communication difficulties. Despite such barriers, women with disabilities should not be excluded from such services.

As part of an evaluation of the introductory campaign of human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine in a Scottish health board, self-administered questionnaires were offered to all 5007 eligible girls in school following the third dose of HPV to identify side-effects, reasons for non-vaccination and future cervical screening intentions, and 2775 (56.2%) replied. In all, 630 (23.5%) of vaccinated girls reported side effects to the vaccination, about half of which were common injection-site reactions. Main reported reasons for non-vaccination related to perceived inadequate evidence for HPV safety and efficacy, and lack of perceived need or desire to be vaccinated. A total of 2430 (89.2%) of the girls expressed plans to take up cervical screening when older. Reasons for not planning to take up cervical smear were lack of knowledge about cervical screening, anticipated discomfort or embarrassment with the process and no perceived need for a cervical smear. Unvaccinated girls were less likely to report planning to attend for cervical smears in later life (Yates chi-square=24.30, p<0.001). The findings emphasise the importance of information on safety and efficacy in future communications about HPV with schoolage girls. The relationship between vaccination and screening intention, and its implications for widening the gap in health inequalities, also requires careful attention in local implementation of the national HPV vaccination programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The Scottish Cervical Screening Programme currently offers three‐yearly screening to all women between the ages of 20 and 60. However, previous studies have indicated that well‐screened women over the age of 50 are likely to be at low risk of cervical neoplasia. This study aimed to explore the implications of discharging these women from screening in a typical area of Scotland [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to an unprecedented upheaval within global healthcare systems and resulted in the temporary pausing of the National Health Service (NHS) Scotland Cervical Screening Programme. With several months of backlogs in appointments, there has not only been a reduction in primary samples being taken for human papilloma virus (HPV) testing but there have also been fewer women referred to colposcopy for investigation and treatment of precancerous or cancerous changes as a result. Encouraging uptake for cervical screening was always a priority before the pandemic, but it is even more important now, considering that the fears and barriers to screening that women may have are now exacerbated by COVID-19., Objectives: This article explores the impact of the pandemic on the uptake of cervical screening within NHS Ayrshire & Arran and evaluates potential strategies to improve uptake now and in future such as self-sampling and telemedicine., Methods: This article presents evidence-based literature and local health board data relating to cervical screening during the pandemic., Results: Human papilloma virus self-sampling carried out by the woman in her home has been shown to improve uptake, especially in non-attenders, whilst maintaining a high sensitivity and, crucially, reducing the need for face-to-face contact. Increased education is key to overcoming barriers women have to screening and telemedicine can strengthen engagement with women during this time., Conclusion: There are lessons to be learned from the pandemic, and we must use this opportunity to improve cervical screening uptake for the future.

The management of cervical disease is changing worldwide as a result of HPV vaccination and the increasing use of HPV testing for cervical screening. However, the impact of vaccination on the performance of HPV based screening strategies is unknown. The SHEVa (Scottish HPV Prevalence in Vaccinated women) projects are designed to gain insight into the impact of vaccination on the performance of clinically validated HPV assays. Samples collated from women attending for first cervical smear who had been vaccinated as part of a national "catch-up" programme were tested with three clinically validated HPV assays (2 DNA and 1 RNA). Overall HR-HPV and type specific positivity was assessed in total population and according to underlying cytology and compared to a demographically equivalent group of unvaccinated women. HPV prevalence was significantly lower in vaccinated women and was influenced by assay-type, reducing by 23-25% for the DNA based assays and 32% for the RNA assay (p = 0.0008). All assays showed over 75% reduction of HPV16 and/or 18 (p < 0.0001) whereas the prevalence of non 16/18 HR-HPV was not significantly different in vaccinated vs unvaccinated women. In women with low grade abnormalities, the proportion associated with non 16/18 HR-HPV was significantly higher in vaccinated women (p < 0.0001). Clinically validated HPV assays are affected differentially when applied to vaccinated women, dependent on assay chemistry. The increased proportion of non HPV16/18 infections may have implications for clinical performance, consequently, longitudinal studies linking HPV status to disease outcomes in vaccinated women are warranted., (© 2016 UICC.)

Background: Computer-assisted screening of cervical liquid-based cytology (LBC) preparations using the ThinPrep® Imaging System (TIS) has shown improved qualitative and quantitative gains. The use of Multicyte™ has not been described in a well-established national screening programme with a low incidence of high-grade dyskaryosis., Objectives: To assess the impact of computer-assisted screening within the Scottish Cervical Screening Programme (SCSP)., Methods: Two groups of three laboratories, each sharing a ThinPrep® Imager, screened 79 366 slides randomized to test and 90 551 to control arms by laboratory accession. Screeners were not blinded. Standard laboratory reporting profiles of the SCSP, sensitivity, specificity and false-negative rates of all grades of LBC abnormalities with respect to final cytology reports, predictive value for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+) on histology; and screening rates were compared for both arms., Results: Inadequate and negative reporting rates were significantly lower and low-grade reporting rates significantly higher in the imager arm. Imager-assisted screening showed significantly better specificity than manual screening with respect to the final cytology result. There was no evidence of a significant difference in the detection of CIN2+ or CIN3 +. Positive, abnormal and total predictive values (high-grade, low-grade and all abnormal cytology found to be CIN2+, respectively) were similar in both arms. Productivity was significantly higher in the imager arm., Conclusion:   Computer-assisted screening in a well established screening programme showed significantly improved productivity without loss of quality. These findings should inform future policy for cervical screening programmes., (© 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)