In the CervScreen Project, researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) are working in collaboration with the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive of Ireland to address global issues relating to the quality and coverage of cervical screening programmes.
As part of this joint initiative, IARC and the Irish authorities have formed three Technical Working Groups, comprising experts in the areas of public health, the implementation and quality improvement of cancer screening, health communication, national and international laws governing relevant medicolegal issues, and regulations in data protection.
The objectives of the Technical Working Groups are (i) to develop best practices for conducting cancer audits in cervical cancer screening programmes; (ii) to identify good practices and key considerations, including a checklist for improved communication with the public, service providers, and other stakeholders about the benefits, inadequacies, and potential harms of cervical cancer screening; and (iii) to develop best practices and a legal framework that will better safeguard the interests of screening participants, providers, and managers. These outcomes will be framed as globally relevant best practices.
The Technical Working Groups will then present their findings to a Stakeholder Advisory Group, constituted within Ireland. This group will be further informed by an assessment of barriers to cervical screening and a study of knowledge, attitudes, and practices implemented in Ireland. The Stakeholder Advisory Group will advise on how to adapt the best practices identified by the Technical Working Groups to the local context, with the goal of improving the performance and impact of the cervical cancer screening programme in Ireland.
The CervScreen Project aims to provide an attractive model for implementing global best practices in cancer screening at the national level after contextualizing them to the local setting.
