Why you should read this article:

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To understand that women with mobility impairments have lower rates of uptake of cervical screening and a higher incidence of cervical cancer than those without mobility impairments

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To recognise the challenges of accessing cervical screening attendance for women with mobility impairments

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To acknowledge the important role of the nurse in improving uptake of cervical screening for women with mobility impairments

Cervical cancer, the fourth most frequently diagnosed malignancy worldwide, is largely preventable through cervical screening and human papillomavirus vaccination programmes. Despite this, there is a higher incidence of cervical cancer in women with lower limb mobility impairments, and lower rates of cervical screening uptake, compared with those without such impairments. This article reports the findings of an integrative literature review that explored the challenges experienced by women with lower limb mobility impairments in accessing cervical screening services and identified strategies used to overcome these challenges. Challenges included environmental barriers, time constraints, inadequate education of healthcare professionals and lack of awareness of the need for cervical screening for this patient population. Nurses, as the healthcare professionals who most often carry out cervical screening, must take the lead in addressing these challenges. The word ‘women’ is used in this article to reflect the cohorts in the studies reviewed and the terminology used in the literature search.