Mrs. Karen Thompson-Nelson, Regional Non Communicable Diseases (NCD) Surveillance Officer for The Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA) received the ‘Most Outstanding Student Oral Presentation’ award at the two day Ministry of Health, 6th Annual National Health Research Conference held under the theme ‘Invest Now and Start Reaping Your Health Rewards’ on November 26 and 27, 2015 at the Jamaica Conference Centre.

The research was conducted as ‘statistics highlighted that there is a problem of low compliance in cervical cancer screening among women of reproductive age in Manchester’.

The study which was a ‘cross-sectional descriptive one, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative designs’, set out to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of female health care workers regarding screening for cervical cancer, to assess a level of compliance to the screening guidelines and to identify barriers to screening’.

Mrs. Nelson submitted the research on behalf of the SRHA and did an oral presentation at the Research Conference in November. She noted that it is a good feeling to have accomplished this for the SRHA and expressed thanks to God and all persons who participated in the research.

‘The study has revealed information that will help Coordinators at the National and Local level to devise strategies necessary to strengthen the existing screening programme, educate re risk factors of the disease as well as to empower health care workers to improve compliance to the screening guidelines and uptake of screening in the public health care facilities’.