Increasing the participation of women with intellectual disabilities in women's health screening: a role for disability support services

New Zealand women with intellectual disabilities do not participate in population-based breast and cervical screening programs to the same extent as other women. This article reports on one component of a study that was designed to (a) explore the knowledge and experiences of women with intellectual disabilities in relation to breast and cervical screening, and (b) to identify factors that health practitioners and disability service providers perceived as either facilitating or impeding the participation of women with intellectual disabilities in generic health screening. Findings related to the second aim are reported here. Three disability support service health advisors and two clinicians contributed data through in-depth qualitative interviews. Braun and Clarke's approach to inductive data analysis was implemented, with coding aligned to the purpose of the study. Three themes were identified: perceived influences on screening; informing women about screening; and supporting women during and after screening. The findings suggest that disability support services can assist women to access screening, and support them throughout the process. Strategies might include challenging attitudes of others regarding a woman's eligibility for screening; assisting women to access information that is meaningful; ensuring that women are supported to engage with screening by disability support service staff they are comfortable with; and developing relationships with primary health providers to facilitate increased participation in screening.