The Australian practice nurse Pap testing initiatives: An evaluation of their impact on cervical screening activity in Grampians general practices.
Reforms to increase access to general practice preventive health services included initiatives promoting cervical screening activity and initiatives to ensure practice nurses (PNs) had capacity to undertake preventive services such as Pap-testing. Despite these reforms the most recent recorded rates of two yearly Pap test participation in the western Grampians region ranges between 53.4 and 54.8%, which is almost 8% lower than the overall participation rate (60.7%) and is about 16% lower than the highest recorded two yearly participation rate (69.2%) for Victorian women aged between 20 and 69. This study undertook a complex mixed method evaluation of general practice Pap incentives to determine the main general practice barriers to PN cervical smear screening in the western Grampians region of Victoria from 2005-2011.
The Horsham Campus Research Precinct (HRCP) is located at the Horsham Campus at the University of Ballarat. The research in the precinct aims to contribute to a sustainable future for the local community as well as for rural and regional areas across Australia. Research at HRCP investigates a range of aspects that relate to living in rural and regional communities including population health, environmental science, social science, and education. The research intends build regional capacity and capability through partnerships with other research organisations and agencies to deliver quality research outcomes for Wimmera, Grampians and Mallee communities. The frameworks and outcomes developed in light of evidence gained from research undertaken in ‘The Precinct’ are expected to be of significance to rural communities elsewhere in Australia and globally.
This report presents the research of a mixed method evaluation that illuminates the mechanisms influencing practice nurse cervical screening, with a focus on what works, for whom, how and why in rural Victoria. This study incorporates into policy, a greater understanding of the contextual nuances of general practice, through the integration of evidence from a comprehensive literature review, data set analysis and interviews of general practice stakeholders in the western Grampians region.
