Increasing Uptake Of Screening For Women’s Cancers: A Systematic Review Of Interventions To Increase Attendance At First Invitation

Abstract

Low uptake of cancer screening in those becoming newly eligible is evident across all UK cancer screening programmes. To establish the evidence base around strategies to increase uptake of cancer screening for women at first invitation, the published literature was reviewed. Papers reporting on invitations to breast and/or cervical screening, specified first-time invitee, used quantitative or qualitative methodologies and research conducted in the UK were included. The search identified 6713 articles, with 99 full-text articles assessed for eligibility. A final eight quantitative studies were selected, representing a collective population of n = 40,326. Evidence was limited but showed moderate scientific quality for the use of timed appointments, SMS, postal prompts and self-sampling to increase uptake of screening. Future work should consider exploring the needs of first-time invitees. The role of self-sampling is discussed, with recommendations for qualitative exploration to understand the mechanisms behind effective strategies to improve screening uptake at first invite.