Increasing anal cancer screenings

Anal cancer diagnoses have been rising in recent decades. Among high-risk populations such as people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), anal cancer cases are much higher than in the general population. Anal cancer screenings are available but underutilized, even in high-risk populations. There is a need for increased interventions, especially in high-risk populations, to educate patients and screen for anal precancers and cancerous cells.

This study will examine the use of nurse education including an evidence-based educational pamphlet for patients at the PA Thrive Partnership clinics to increase the number of high-risk patients who have anal cancer screenings completed. This is a quantitative study measuring statistics around the number of patients receiving anal cancer screenings before and after the implementation of anal cancer education. The theoretical framework most suitable for this project is the Iowa Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) framework. The Iowa EBP framework includes identifying a problem, researching to support it, designing an appropriate change process, and integrating and sustaining the change.