Skip to main content

Cervical Screening Awareness Week 15th - 21st June 2020


Early cervical cancers and pre-cancerous cell changes don't usually have symptoms. Not everyone diagnosed with cervical cancer will have symptoms, that's why it's important to attend regular cervical screening.
The most common symptoms of cervical cancer include:
  • unusual vaginal bleeding
  • pain or discomfort during sex
  • vaginal discharge
  • pain in the area between the hip bones (pelvis)

Cervical screening is a way of preventing cancer. It tests for a virus called high risk human papilloma virus (HPV). High risk HPV can cause cervical cells to become abnormal. Most cases of cervical cancer are linked to high risk HPV.
The cervix is part of the female reproductive system. It is the lowest part of the womb and is at the top of the vagina. A nurse takes a sample of cells from the cervix using a small soft brush (smear test) and sends the sample to the laboratory.
For more information surrounding cervical screening please visit the Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, Cancer Research UK and NHS Choices websites:

RELATED LIBRARY RESOURCES
For anyone studying the importance of improving both the awareness and knowledge of and supporting those who have been affected or suffer from cervical cancer, the Health Libraries both at the Royal Stoke and County Hospitals offer resources related to the subject. In the lists below you’ll find a variety of items as well as information on materials recently added to our collection and available periodicals. To locate these items, simply go to our online catalogue or ask at the counter.
BOOKS:
  • Handbook of gynecologic oncology / Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.; University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.; Barakat, Richard R.; 2000 [London : Martin Dunitz].
  • Taking cervical smears / British Society for Clinical Cytology; Craddock, Penny, 2003; 3rd ed, rev. and enlarged [Uxbridge: British Society for Clinical Cytology].
  • Sexual health / French, Kathy, 2009 [Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell] - NHS and Keele ebook also available.
  • Obstetrics and gynaecology / Impey, Lawrence; Child, Tim, 2017; 5th ed. [Chichester, West Sussex, UK : Wiley Blackwell]  - NHS and Keele ebook also available.

JOURNALS:
  • Women's Health / [London, UK : Future Medicine Ltd.] [Available as a Keele & NHS ejournal 2005 onwards.]
  • American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology / New York : Elsevier. [Available in print 1984 – 2012, as a Keele ejournal 1995 onwards & as a NHS ejournal 2007 onwards].
  • Journal of midwifery & women's health / Malden, Mass. : Wiley. [Available in print 2000 – 2013, and as a Keele ejournal 2000 onwards].
  • Cancer / New York : John Wiley and Sons. [Available in print 1984 – 1996, as a Keele ejournal 1995 onwards & as a NHS ejournal 1997 onwards with 1 year embargo].
  • Public Health / New York : Elsevier. [Available a Keele ejournal 1995 onwards & as a NHS ejournal 2007 onwards].

Access these and more journals via our Journals webpage https://www.keele.ac.uk/healthlibrary/find/journals/
JOURNAL ARTICLES:
  • Bethune, G.R.; Lewis, H.J.; “Let’s talk about smear tests: Social marketing for the National Cervical Screening Programme”, Public Health, 2009 Vol 123, Supplement 1, pp. e17–e22. [Available via Keele & NHS ejournals].
  • Gravitt, Patti E ; Landy, Rebecca ; Schiffman, Mark; “How confident can we be in the current guidelines for exiting cervical screening?”, Preventive Medicine, 2018, Vol.114, September, pp.188-192. [Available via Keele & NHS ejournals].
  • Simonellaa, Leonardo; Canfell, Karen; “Development of a quality framework for models of cervical screening and its application to evaluations of the cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination in developed countries”, Vaccine, 2015, Volume 33 (1), pp..34-51. [Available via Keele & NHS ejournals].
  • Patel, Hersha ; Moss, Esther L. ; Sherman, Susan M.; “HPV primary cervical screening in England: Women's awareness and attitudes”, PsychoOncology, 2018, Vol.27(6), pp.1559-1564. [Available via Keele & NHS ejournals].
  • Umuago, Ibiyemi J ; Obiebi, Irikefe P ; Eze, Godson U ; Zini, Mudiaga ; Okoacha, Innocent; “Bridging the gap in health systems through task-sharing: A model of PHC workers’ competency for cervical screening”, Journal of Cancer Research and Practice, 2018, Vol.5(4), pp.141-148. [Available via Keele & NHS ejournals].

PATIENT INFORMATION / PATIENT ADVICE

CURRENT AWARENESS

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Stay ahead in Healthcare: How the Health Library’s Current Awareness Service keeps you informed

  In the fast-paced world of healthcare, staying up-to-date with the latest research is not just beneficial—it’s essential. New evidence, research, guidelines, and innovations are published every day, shaping how care is delivered and improving patient outcomes. Finding and filtering relevant information can be a challenge. Your Health Library can help – learn more about our current awareness service. What Is a Current Awareness Service? A Current Awareness Service is designed to help busy NHS professionals stay informed without the need to constantly search for new information. It delivers regular, targeted updates on the latest publications in your specific area of interest. Instead of spending hours trawling through databases or journals, you receive summaries of the most relevant research—straight to your inbox. Why does it matter to NHS staff? Keeping up with evidence-based practice is a core part of delivering high-quality care. The Current Awareness Service helps yo...

Ebsco is changing for NHS users. Act now to save your content!

Ebsco is changing the interface for its databases, such as Cinahl and Medline. These databases are used for running literature searches. The platform for ebsco databases is also called ebscohost. The change is expected to take place on the 14 th July. Have you saved searches or search alerts? You will need to act to avoid losing things you have saved. Why is EBSCOhost changing? There has been little change to EBSCO databases over a number of years.   EBSCO say the new version will offer an enhanced experience and allow the addition of new features. What isn’t changing? Your access to EBSCO databases will continue to be via the Health library website and your existing NHS OpenAthens login.   The account you use to save things (My EBSCO) will be retained although some content will be lost if you do not act. What do I need to do?   Will I lose my saved searches? If you do not use EBSCOhost or ebsco databases then no action is required. If you do use EBSCOhos...

NHS staff can get free access to thousands of ebooks and articles

 Get the best evidence from essential resources such as ebooks, journals and databases. Whenever you’re looking for the right information for confident clinical decisions, career development, research projects or support for patient care, make sure you can access the best evidence. Access NHS and Health Library subscribed resources using your NHS OpenAthens username and password. What is NHS OpenAthens and are you eligible? Complete our quick quiz NHS OpenAthens – what’s fact or fake? to learn… What is NHS OpenAthens? Are you eligible? What resources you can access? How can you register? home page for the nhs openathens quiz Practice evidence-based healthcare by accessing the best evidence using your NHS OpenAthens username. More help Contact the Health Library for more help finding and accessing the information you need.