Dear HIFA colleagues,
Thank you for your contributions to the discussion so far. What have we learned so far? What more can we learn?
Let's reflect on Question 4. Can contributors share examples where information or misinformation influenced someone's decision to seek or avoid screening or treatment?
Here are some examples from our discussion, thanks again to our contributors:
Diya Banerjee Sur (India): “In the villages where I work, awareness sessions have spread like wildfire, and women are coming in large numbers for screening and treatment.”
“On the contrary, due to the wrong belief about the HPV vaccine, girls of that age are refusing to take the vaccine.”
Dr Anu Mary Oommen (India): “We have seen that those who undergo follow-up procedures like colposcopic biopsy have pain during the procedure. When others hear this information, they get worried about either screening or attending follow-up.”
Neil Pakenham-Walsh, sharing a Zambian woman's experience: “I was told that the metal [speculum] for testing for the cancer is what brings the cancer … I refused at that time, I did not get tested.”
Frank Brightwell (Dominican Republic): "A woman reluctant to be ‘marked’ is reassured not by a poster but by a clinician she trusts, in her own language, over the years.”
We look forward to learning more about this topic. Do you have anything you would like to share? Please email: hifa@hifaforums.org
With thanks, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org