Environmental, structural and process barriers in breast cancer screening for women with physical disability: A qualitative study

•Women with physical disabilities have unique needs in accessing mammography.•Significant difficulties were reported in accessing and negotiating equipment.•Staff attitudes considerably influenced participants' breast screening experience.•Participants recommend changes to mammography to enhance the experience for others.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women internationally and is responsible for the deaths of thousands of women annually. Early detection of breast cancer is integral to ensure early intervention which increases survival rates and health outcomes for women. Despite the availability of breast cancer screening (BCS), previous research has identified that women with physical disability are less likely to access BCS and when they do, they encounter substantial barriers to these services. This paper presents the environmental, systemic and process barriers that women with physical disability face in undertaking BCS in New South Wales, Australia. A qualitative design was used to collect data via in-depth interviews which were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Twelve women with physical disability participated in interviews to share their experiences of BCS. Findings revealed that participants had both negative and positive experiences during BCS and are presented in the following four themes: Needing better access, Feeling like the machines aren't made for people like me; Experiencing health workers as being clinical and detached and; Facilitating and improving the experience of breast screening. Participants encountered substantial difficulties with the inflexibility of the diagnostic equipment. Further some conveyed that negative experiences of the procedure and interactions with staff while accessing mammography would deter them from returning for BCS. Informed and individualised care is required to enhance the experience of women with physical disability and thus increase uptake rates of this service.