Cervical cancer is a major public health issue worldwide and is the second most common disease in developing nations like Ethiopia. Early screening and treatment are critical for treating cervical cancer. However, there is no systematic review evidence on cervical cancer screening practices. Hence, the goal of this review was to assess cervical cancer screening practices and the factors influencing them among healthcare providers in Ethiopia.
Search Strategy and Data Sources
This review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 6,818 articles were collected from various international databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, African Journals Online, Google Scholar, and the Wiley Online Library, covering the period from December 1, 2024 to February 6, 2025. The Newcastle–Ottawa scale (NOS) was employed to evaluate the methodological quality of the studies. Data extraction were carried out using Excel, and the analysis was performed with STATA 11 software. The pooled effect size for cervical cancer screening practices was estimated using a random effects model. Cochran’s Q test and the I2 statistic were applied to evaluate the heterogeneity among the studies, while the symmetry of the funnel plot and Egger’s test were utilized to detect publication bias.
Results
In total, 7,781 study participants were involved in 16 studies for this evaluation. The pooled cervical cancer screening practice among healthcare providers was 18.35% (95% CI: 10.98, 25.73). Good knowledge (AOR = 5.09; 95% CI: 2.26, 11.47), having ≥3 years of work experience (AOR = 2.04; 95% CI: 1.10, 3.78), and receiving cervical cancer training (AOR = 3.95; 95% CI: 2.10, 7.33) were significant factors for cervical cancer screening practices.
Conclusions
More than two-thirds of healthcare providers did not implement cervical cancer screening practices aimed at prevention. To reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with cervical cancer in women, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health and its partners should increase the knowledge of healthcare providers, particularly new employees. This can be achieved by offering training on effective screening practices to prevent complications related to cervical cancer. The review has been recorded under International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) with the number CRD42024565570.
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