Nurse Practitioners’ Awareness of Existing Barriers Regarding Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Among African American Women

Background and Significance: Despite availability of adequate screening protocols, African American (AA) women face increased incidence of breast and cervical cancer due to specific barriers to care. Nurse practitioners (NP) are perfectly positioned to identify and mitigate these specific barriers. Study Purpose and Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore NPs’ awareness of existing barriers regarding breast and cervical cancer screening among AA women. The aim of the study was to promote NP awareness and understanding of existing barriers to care and the need for evidence-based breast and cervical cancer screening protocols tailored to the needs of AA women. Methodology: A qualitative descriptive design was utilized with use of individual semi-structured interviews. Guided by an essentialist/ realist framework, Braun and Clarke’s reflective thematic analysis method was used to analyze data with an inductive approach and use of semantic or explicit data driven codes. Findings: One overarching theme, I’m Not Sure of Anything in Particular with African American Women as Far as Breast and Cervical Cancer Go, and three key themes, Multiple Screening Guidelines: Whatever It’s Called, It’s a Little Bit Too Late...Less Likely to Get Screening Done, and It All Just Comes Down to Awareness, were generated as a result of the analysis of data. Strengths and Limitations: Strengths of this study included use of semi-structured individual interviews which yielded rich data that provided valuable insight into an under-researched area of NP practice concerning cancer screening in AA women. Limitations included study implementation during the Covid-19 pandemic, the data collection time frame, a small sample size, use of convenience sampling, and potential for participant bias. Conclusion and Recommendations: The disparity that currently exists within healthcare for AA women regarding breast and cervical cancer screening is alarming with a critical need to be addressed and mitigated. Improved outcomes of breast and cervical cancer screening for AA women may be achieved through NP and patient education, the creation of culturally sensitive and appropriate standardized breast and cervical cancer screening recommendations and guidelines, and increased provider diversity to promote representation.