Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia (FGAE) is one of the leading non-governmental providers of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care in Ethiopia. FGAE has 20 medium SRH clinics and 27 youth centers across Ethiopia. This study was conducted at Jimma model clinic (JMC), one of the 20 medium SRH clinics of FGAE, Jimma town, 350 km southwest of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. The catchment area of the clinic is Jimma town and surrounding districts. The clinic started opportunistic screening of females aged 25–45 years on September 2012 as per cervical cancer prevention guideline for low-resource settings [7 ]. Thus, after proper counseling of clients aged 25–45 years who came for medical or reproductive health services, those with free will were screened with 5 % acetic acid and test positive cryotherapy eligible clients were treated with cryotherapy while cryotherapy ineligible clients and those with lesions suspicious for cancer were referred to Jimma University specialized hospital (JUSH). Diagnostic criteria were as per cervical cancer prevention guideline for low-resource settings and screening results were defined as:
VIA positive: presence of raised and thickened white plaques or acetowhite epithelium, usually near the Squamo-columnar junction (SCJ).
VIA negative: presence of smooth, pink, uniform and featureless cervix; cervical ectropion; polyp; cervicitis; inflammation; and/or nabothian cyst after applying a dilute solution of acetic acid.
Eligible for cryotherapy: acetowhite lesion <75 % of cervix; lesion does not extend onto the vaginal wall; and lesion extends <2 mm beyond the diameter of the cryoprobe.
Ineligible for cryotherapy: acetowhite lesion >75 % of cervix; lesion extends into the vaginal wall; lesion extends >2 mm beyond the diameter of the cryotip and lesion suspicious for cancer.
Suspicious for cancer: presence of cauliflower-like growth or ulcer; fungating and bleeding mass.
Primary data was registered on standard client evaluation form for cervical cancer prevention service by trained general practioner and nurse. Ethical approval was obtained from ethical review board of Jimma University. A letter of support was obtained from JMC. Client records were treated confidentially and name of clients was not included in the data collection. After checking for integrity and plausibility, data was collected from standard client evaluation form for cervical cancer prevention service on checklist for retrieving data from September 11, 2013 to October 11, 2013 and transferred to Epidata. Double entry verification was also made and the entered data was exported to SPSS version 16.0 for analysis. Descriptive analysis of variables involved was done and Logistic regression was employed for identifying predictors of VIA positive result.
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