The first decades of Finnish cervical cancer screening

Experiences of nurses taking the smears 

Midwives and public health nurses working in primary healthcare have been responsible for taking Pap-smears in the Finnish population-based screening programme since its introduction in the 1960´s. This study aimed at exploring the experiences of the smear takers who have worked within cervical cancer screening during the first decades of the programme. The main focus was in their views on the implementation of a novel health services activity. Study data was collected by interviewing former smear takers. The interviewees described their work as satisfying and meaningful. The main reason for the acceptance of the program was stated as the familiarity of the smear takers to the female population. Some health education and features of general health examination were often incorporated in the screening visits and thus, women´s health was seen to have been promoted more broadly than merely from the gynaecological aspect. To conclude, the Finnish cervical cancer screening program can be considered a success also from the perspective of the experiences of the interviewed health care personnel.