As a primary care nurse practitioner with my own practice in outer Western Sydney, I treat a number of patients living in regional and remote communities.

The women who visit me — mostly young professionals, mums and grandmothers — are often juggling work, childcare and caring for ageing parents. In a community with low health literacy, much of my role is education, explaining what the system assumes women already know.

Through the years, human papillomavirus (HPV) screening has stood out as an area with a huge knowledge and access gap.

In fact, a 2024 nationwide HPV and cervical screening survey* of Australians with a cervix revealed that a fifth (20%) of respondents did not know that HPV was, and almost half (48%) did not know it was linked to cervical cancer.