Cervical Cancer Screening Among Women in Malawi: An Integrative Literature Review.

This integrative literature review focuses on cervical cancer screening (CCS) uptake among women in Malawi, a low-income country with a high cervical cancer burden and mortality rate eight times the global average. The review found CCS rates ranging from 1.74% to 47%, with most studies reporting around 13%, which is substantially below the World Health Organization's (WHO) 70% screening target for 2030. Barriers and facilitators to screening uptake were categorized using a situation-specific theory framework into factors related to access to healthcare services (e.g., availability of screening sites, trained providers, and resources), individual factors (e.g., knowledge, attitudes, and fears about screening), sociocultural factors (e.g., myths, spouse approval, and gender of healthcare providers), and sociodemographic factors (e.g., age, education, HIV status, and residence). The review highlights the need for culturally appropriate, sustainable interventions including health education, increased screening sites, provider training, and enhanced HPV vaccination programs to improve CCS uptake and reduce cervical cancer morbidity and mortality in Malawi.