Prospective Evaluation of Self-Testing to Increase Screening

Regularly attending for Pap test cervical cancer screening in a clinic is often unfeasible and/or unacceptable to many women. This study evaluates if mailing and testing self-sampled kits for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) can cost-effectively increase screening participation among underserved minority women in a safety-net health system.

Regularly attending for Pap test cervical cancer screening in a clinic is often unfeasible and/or unacceptable to many women. Using mailed self-sampling kits to test for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes cervical cancer, may overcome multiple barriers to clinic-based screening. This study is a randomized controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of three outreach interventions to increase primary screening participation and clinical follow-up among underscreened women a in a safety net health system. The three strategies that will be evaluated are: 1) telephone recall; 2) telephone recall with mailed self-sample HPV testing kits; and 3) telephone recall with mailed self-sample HPV testing kits and patient navigation.