It has been suggested that testing women for human papilloma virus infection might become part of routine cervical screening in the future. For example, women who have an abnormal cervical smear test might go on to have a human papilloma virus test to help determine whether they need further investigation or treatment. Studies are underway to find out whether these uses of human papilloma virus testing are clinically effective, in terms of preventing cervical cancer.
Testing women for human papilloma virus is a sensitive and complex issue. For example, because human papilloma virus is sexually transmitted, testing for it as part of routine screening might not be acceptable to some women. In addition, we already know that taking part in cervical screening can, for some women (particularly those who have abnormal cervical smears), raise levels of anxiety, worries, etc. It possible that testing for human papilloma virus as well could cause further concerns.
It is important to find out what women in Ireland know about current cervical screening methods and human papilloma virus, what their attitudes are towards using human papilloma virus testing as part of cervical screening, and what effect testing for human papilloma virus might have on women. This is what this part of the research programme is about.
