Comprehensive Cervical Cancer Control: A Guide to Essential Practice

This Guide provides essential knowledge and skills needed by health care providers, at different levels of care, in order to offer quality services for prevention, early detection and screening, treatment and palliation of cervical cancer. The Guide presents guidelines and up-to-date, evidence-based recommendations covering the full continuum of care. Key recommendations are included in each chapter. The Guide is composed of seven chapters and associated practice sheets, nine annexes and a glossary. Each chapter includes: - a description of the role and responsibilities of first- and second-level providers in relation to the specific topic of the chapter; - a story illustrating and personalizing the topic of the chapter; - essential background information on the subject of the chapter, followed by discussion of established and evolving practices in clinical care, and recommendations for practice, as appropriate; - information on services at each of the four levels of the health care system; - counselling messages to help providers communicate with women about the services they have received and the follow-up they will need; - a list of additional resources. Most of the chapters have associated practice sheets. These are short, self-contained documents containing key information on specific elements of care that health care providers may need to deliver, for example, how to take a Pap smear or how to perform cryotherapy. Counselling is included as an integral part of each procedure described. This Guide is intended primarily for use by health care providers working in health centres and district hospitals with limited resources. It may also be of interest to community and tertiary-level providers, as well as workers in other settings where women in need of early detection and care might be reached.