U.S. Navy Women’s Experience with Cervical Cancer Screening & Follow-Up Care

The proposed study will use a qualitative approach employing a combined narrative analysis method (Labov & Waletsky structural analysis exploring individual transcribed interviews and Braun & Clarke thematic analysis to analysis across interviews). Indepth, semi-structured audio-recorded interviews will be used with a purposive sample of approximately 20-30 active duty USN women presenting for a first time colposcopic procedure. Qualitative research provides data in areas of research where little is known about the population. Narrative analysis is a method that provides a venues for participants to tell their stories.

The specific aims for this cross-sectional descriptive study to answer the research question of what are U.S. Navy women’s experience of abnormal cervical cancer screening and follow-up care in a military healthcare system examining active duty Navy women serving in shipboard operations and their active duty shore-based cohorts are to: 

1. Describe women’s experience and follow up when confronted with a first-time diagnosis of an abnormal cervical cancer screening within the military healthcare system.  

2. Identify challenges and facilitators that women encounter in accessing follow-up care for an abnormal cervical cancer screening within the military healthcare system.  

3. Chart a retrospective map to portray timelines related to notification, reporting, referral, and follow-up care for women with abnormal cervical cancer screening results in the military healthcare system.

Final report is available on NTRL: https://ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/dashboard/searchResults/titleDetail/PB2016103...