The government is now operating in accordance with the Guidance on Caretaker Conventions, pending the outcome of the 2025 federal election.

Healthcare system and provider related barriers

Learn about the barriers faced by healthcare providers and the system-related barriers that prevent cervical screening.

Healthcare provider-related barriers

  • Time constraints and pressure to restrict consultation times
  • Availability of female healthcare providers
  • Lack of practical training in cervical screening (e.g. for international medical graduates who have never performed cervical screening)
  • The patient knowing the healthcare provider personally
  • Interpersonal and communication skills
  • Age and cultural background of the healthcare provider
  • Lack of trust in the effectiveness and equivalency between self-collection and clinician-collection screening options

System-related barriers

  • Accessibility of the health service, including availability of ramps and hoists
  • Availability of convenient appointment times
  • Availability of bulk-billing
  • Services without a culturally sensitive environment
  • Availability of female healthcare providers or any healthcare provider who is a cervical screener
  • Availability of local language resources and patient information
  • Availability of pathology laboratories to process self-collection samples
Date last updated:

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