NR 505 Week 2 Assignment: PICOT Worksheet

Identifying the gaps in healthcare delivery and responding to them is essential. The nurses and healthcare providers should watch out to determine the health patterns and issues among given populations and recommend the best practices that will promote healthy living. The current study provides the opportunity to explore the existing clinical and practice gaps and approaches to addressing them. As a result, the focus will be on the responsibility of the nurses to offer relevant mandatory education to women in their 20s and 30s as a way of reducing the burden of cervical cancer.

PICOT Worksheet Identification of the Practice Issue Cervical cancer is a significant health issue among the women population. However, most of the cases are diagnosed late, and this results in a poor prognosis. Cancer is characterized by uncontrolled cell division, which may spread to other parts of the body when not treated in time. Metastasized cancer cells are difficult to treat and have poor health outcomes. According to Abu et al. (2020), cervical cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortalities globally. Also, the study by Abu et al. (2020) reports that the incidence of cervical cancer increased by about 10.3% in the past ten years. The burden is high among women aged between 20 and 35 years old. However, the uptake of screening tests among the population group is wanting, requiring an investigation to explore the screening uptake patterns among them. According to Kong et al. (2019), the mortality rates from cervical cancer also increased from 0.1% to 0.2% within the past ten years. The risk of cervical cancer is most significant among women in their 20s and 30s; though, this is the last group likely to go for the screening services. Lack of screening intake among the population group causes disparity in the access to healthcare services. Besides, lack of uptake on the screening practices among the population group is attributed to the fact that nurses do not offer relevant educations to the women they interact with and inform them of the need for screening. The need to intensify education to the population group is supported by the findings by Kong et al. (2019), who indicated that most young women fail to go for cervical cancer screening due to ignorance. Furthermore, while the screening services are affordable, some women think they are expensive and so fail to go for the tests because of misinformation and misconceptions. Nurses ought to utilize every opportunity they have to provide the proper guidance to young women to fight cervical cancer in society. Significance of the Practice Issue Nurses have a role in offering relevant education and promoting healthy behavioural patterns among the populations. On the other hand, inadequate provision of education results in disparity in access to healthcare services, as evident among the women population identified in this study. The burden of cervical cancer is high because of the gap in the nursing practice. Evidence-based practices involve a series of activities undertaken to improve the quality of health among a given population. The current trends in the incidences and mortality rates for cervical cancer raise a warning sign that the situation may worsen if the nurses and healthcare providers fail to collaborate and offer relevant health promoting education to the population group. The progression of cervical cancer is high among young women, making them the most vulnerable population that needs proper guidance on the preventive measures and screening resources for cervical cancer (Ngune et al., 2020). Discussion of the PICOT Elements P- women aged between 20 and 30 years Provision of education on the need for cervical cancer screening by the nurses. C- Lack of education provided by the nurses O- Reduced stigmatization and increased uptake of cervical cancer screening. T- Six months PICOT Statement (Narrative) Does the provision of education on the need for cervical cancer screening by the nurses compared to no education reduce the stigmatization and improve the uptake on cervical cancer screening among the women aged between 20 and 30 years with six months?

Conclusion

The above illustration indicates the significance of education in changing the perceptions and attitudes of young women towards cervical cancer screening. The burden of cervical cancer is already high and is worsened by the lack of appropriate interventions and response from the healthcare providers. Regular screening results in early diagnosis and a good prognosis for the patients and is highly recommended for young women. On the other hand, delays in access to healthcare services such as cervical cancer screening result in late diagnosis and reduced survival rates. Educating the population on the need to undergo regular screening could play an essential role in improving their treatment outcomes. As a result, nurses should not neglect their health promotion roles but should integrate them into their daily interactions with them.

References

Kong, Y., Zong, L., Yang, J., Wu, M., & Xiang, Y. (2019). Cervical cancer in women aged 25 years or younger: A retrospective study. Cancer Management and Research, 11, 2051-2058. https://doi.org/10.2147/cmar.s195098

Ngune, I., Kalembo, F., Loessl, B., & Kivuti-Bitok, L. W. (2020). Biopsychosocial risk factors and knowledge of cervical cancer among young women: A case study from Kenya to inform HPV prevention in sub-Saharan Africa. PLOS ONE, 15(8), e0237745. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237745

Abu, S. H., Woldehanna, B. T., Nida, E. T., Tilahun, A. W., Gebremariam, M. Y., & Sisay, M. M. (2020). The role of health education on cervical cancer screening uptake at selected health centres in Addis Ababa. PLOS ONE, 15(10), e0239580. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239580

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