Strategies to Increase Participation in Cancer Screening Program in Romania

Cervical cancer screening is considered the most significant public health intervention that can reduce not only the incidence, but also the mortality of the disease. One of the most important factors for screening effectiveness is coverage defined as the number of women tested within a recommended interval. Evaluation of the first four-years of the screening program in the north-eastern part of Romania, that was started in 2012, revealed a low participation of the eligible population (16.88%) and a high prevalence of (6.65%) cervical precursor lesions. These findings underline the importance of the continued implementation of the national screening program. In the same time the policy-makers should take new measures to increase women's participation in this screening program. In this review we cover the most important factors that can increase participation rate in the screening program.