Interviewee: Dr. Katherine Grey; UBC Obstetrics and Gynaecology resident, PGY-2 | Authors/Editors: Romina Garcia de leon, Shayda Swann (Weblog Co-coordinators)
Revealed: July fifth, 2024
Are you able to inform me about your analysis?
I’m a primary yr resident in Obstetrics and Gynecology (Ob/Gyn) on the College of British Columbia (UBC). I began doing world well being analysis throughout the theme of ladies’s well being in my fourth yr of medical faculty. My analysis centered totally on fairness and care surrounding ladies’s well being in Rwanda.
I initially delved right into a venture centered round enhancing entry to cervical most cancers screening for ladies in Rwanda. Since then, my endeavors have expanded to varied initiatives throughout the realm of Ob/Gyn care in Rwanda. One noteworthy initiative I spearheaded was the optimization of cervical most cancers screening and accessibility in Rwanda by gaining insights from healthcare suppliers. My research, which concluded final yr, seemed on the practices of Ob/Gyns, nurse midwives, and household docs concerning cervical most cancers screening, shedding mild on the challenges they encounter.
Moreover, I have been concerned in various analysis themes in Rwanda, together with an exploration of preterm untimely rupture of membranes and the present pointers, evaluating them to Canadian requirements of care. I’ve additionally investigated operative vaginal deliveries in Rwanda, and my present focus lies on numerous sides of cervical most cancers screening.
Are there any findings out of your analysis that you just’d like to spotlight?
From my research on healthcare supplier views, lots of the findings did align with related research in different low-resource settings. One distinguished theme that emerged is the numerous barrier posed by sufferers’ data and schooling ranges concerning cervical most cancers and screening. Many sufferers exhibit a restricted understanding of both the illness or the screening course of, which restricted their engagement with screening initiatives.
Moreover, the coaching of healthcare suppliers in conducting cervical most cancers screening emerged as one other influential think about accessing screening. A small subset of physicians and nurses obtain formal coaching on easy methods to conduct screening, resulting in a scarcity of proficient suppliers. This scarcity of skilled professionals was constantly cited as a barrier to screening by each supplier interviewed in my research. Total, the coaching panorama seems inconsistent, leading to notable gaps in screening and subsequent care provision.
How did you become involved with this sort of work?
In my fourth yr of medical faculty, I knew that I wished to pursue Ob/Gyn and I’ve at all times been inquisitive about world well being. I used to be linked with my analysis supervisor, Dr. Marianne Vidler and bought concerned together with her work and the theme of worldwide well being and maternity care in Rwanda. I’ve been and concerned ever since! I’m immensely grateful for the chance to proceed my residency at UBC, because it allows me to maintain my analysis endeavors alongside my distinctive staff, each in Canada and Rwanda.
What affect do you hope to see with the work you’re doing?
My analysis is devoted to figuring out and understanding the limitations hindering each sufferers from accessing care and suppliers from delivering it successfully. By comprehending these obstacles, we purpose to take proactive steps in the direction of enhancing screening accessibility. With a main give attention to understanding these limitations, my purpose is to progress in the direction of devising methods and implementing them successfully.
At the moment, my staff and I are delving into the idea of self-collection for HPV testing in Rwanda. This technique has gained prominence, notably in British Columbia, primarily due to its heightened sensitivity in comparison with conventional Pap smears in cervical most cancers screening. Our analysis will contain integrating this extra delicate and environment friendly method, which permits people to self-collect samples, into Rwanda’s healthcare infrastructure.
Trying forward, I hope that I can proceed engaged on the combination of HPV DNA testing and self-collection strategies in Rwanda. By doing so, I hope to make clear how these improvements can considerably improve entry to and charges of cervical most cancers screening within the area.