Factors related to failure to attend the consultation to receive the results of the Pap smear test1

OBJECTIVE to identify the factors related to the failure of women to attend the follow-up consultation to receive the results of the Pap smear test. METHOD a cross-sectional study, carried out with 775 patients who underwent the Pap smear test in the Centro de Saúde da Família of Fortaleza, between September 2010 and February 2011. RESULTS the majority of the women studied were young (≤35 years), had low levels of education (≤7 years of study), and commenced sexual activity early (≤20 years), with 17.0% of them failing to return to receive the test results. Statistically significant results for the failure to return were related to: young women (p=0.001); early onset of sexual activity (p=0.047); and inadequate knowledge about the Pap smear test (p=0.029). CONCLUSION the fact that the women failed to return for the result is a problem for the control of cervical cancer, and must be addressed through educational strategies that reinforce the importance of the return for the early detection of this cancer.