Cervical cancer screening in older women. Issues and interventions.

Although some controversy exists, the Papanicolaou (Pap) smear for cervical cancer screening is widely accepted as an effective mechanism for cancer control. An issue of interest to clinicians and behavioral scientists is the underrepresentation of elderly women in populations screened. It is important for nurses to understand the issues, and hypothesized reasons behind this phenomenon, in order to develop interventions to counteract it. The authors examine this problem from a number of behavioral and clinical perspectives and discuss nursing interventions to improve cervical cancer screening in older women.