Lesson video

Hello and welcome to our second lesson together for this health and prevention unit.

I am Mrs. Smith.

In this lesson, we will look at screening and what to expect from a routine medical screening.

We will also learn about the purpose and importance of smear tests.

This lesson might include some content that is a sensitive topic for you.

We recommend checking with a trusted adult before you begin or completing the lesson with a trusted adult nearby.

So if you are ready, then let's begin.

For this lesson, you are going to need an exercise book or paper to write on and a pen.

If you need to go and collect this equipment now, do so, and press play when you're ready to carry on.

Our agenda for today's lesson looks like this.

We will begin by discussing routine medical screenings and what to expect.

We will then look at smear tests and their importance.

We will finish with a reflection and exit quiz.

Our key words for today's lesson include screening, a way of detecting early disease or risk factors for disease in people.

Routine, performed as part of a regular procedure.

And smear test, or cervical screening.

This checks the health of your cervix.

The main benefit of routine medical screening is the early detection of a problem before any symptoms develop.

If a problem is diagnosed before symptoms develop, treatment is often much more effective and there can be more choices of what treatment to have.

Your first activity today is to fill in the missing vowels.

Now, these are all types of medical screening that are on offer.

So pause the video now and complete that activity.

We shall now look at these different types of medical screening and the benefits of these.

How about quiet reflection now to yourself? Do you know anyone that has ever had any type of routine medical screening? Pause the video now to take two minutes to reflect on that question.

The NHS offers a whole host of screening tests to different sections of the population.

And these include cervical screening, which is offered to women aged 25 to 64 to check the health of cells in their cervix.

It is offered every three years for those age 26 to 49 and every five years between the ages of 50 to 64.

Breast cancer screening is also on offer.

And it is offered to women aged 50 to 70 to detect early signs of breast cancer.

Women over 70 can self-refer.

There is also screening during pregnancy, and this could be for infectious diseases, such as hepatitis B, or screening for Down Syndrome, Patau Syndrome and Edward Syndrome.

Also, they screen for sickle cell disease.

And finally, for physical abnormalities.

Following this, there is also screening in newborn babies.

They are offered a physical examination, which includes their eyes, their heart, their hips, and testes, as well as a hearing test and a blood spot test, which checks if the baby has any of the nine rare conditions.

You can also be referred for bowel cancer screening for people over 60, and a home test kit is offered every two years.

If you're over 75, you can ask for a kit every two years by ringing their free bowel cancer screening service.

They also offer diabetic eye screening.

From the age of 12, all people with diabetes are offered an annual diabetic eye test to check for any abnormalities.

The NHS also offer abdominal aortic aneurysm screening and it is offered to men in their 65th year.

It is looking for any dangerous swelling in their aorta.

The main benefit of screening is the late detection of a problem after any symptoms have developed.

Is this true or false? Point to the screen now.

So this statement is false.

The main benefit of screening is actually the early detection of a problem before any symptoms can develop.

We shall now discuss what to expect at a routine medical screening.

Now, there are usually two outcomes, a normal result or a higher-risk result.

If you get a normal result after a screening test, this means you are at low risk of having the condition you were screened for.

This does not mean you will never develop the condition in the future, just that you are low risk at the moment.

If you have a higher-risk result, it means you may have the condition that you've been tested for.

At this point, you'll be offered further tests called diagnostic tests to confirm if you have the condition.

You can then be offered treatment advice and support.

Finding out about a problem early can mean that the treatment is much more effective.

However, screening tests are not perfect and they can lead to difficult decisions about having further tests or treatment.

So for example, they are not 100% accurate.

You could be told that you have a problem when you do not.

And this is called a false positive.

A screening test could also possibly miss a problem, and this is called a false negative, and could lead to people ignoring symptoms in the future.

Some screening tests also can lead to difficult decisions.

For example, if a pregnancy screening test tells you your baby has a higher risk of a particular condition, you may then be faced with a decision about having further diagnostic tests that involve a risk to your pregnancy.

If the diagnostic test is positive, you then may need to decide whether to continue with your pregnancy.

Finding out you may have a health problem can cause considerable anxiety.

And finally, even if your screening test result is normal or negative, meaning you are not at high risk, you could still go on to develop a condition.

These are all things to bear in mind when attending a routine medical screening.

We shall now move on to have a look at smear tests and their benefits.

But first, some true or false questions.

There are over 200 types of cancer.

Do you think this is true or false? Point to the screen now.

This is true.

There are more than 200 different types of cancer, and each is diagnosed and treated in a particular way.

Cervical cancer is a common cancer in women.

True or false? This is also true.

Cervical cancer develops in a woman's cervix, the entrance to the womb from the vagina.

It mainly affects sexually active women aged between 30 and 45.

Smear tests.

So all women and people with a cervix are offered a smear test for cervical screening from the ages of 25 to 64.

This is not a test for cancer, but a test to help prevent cancer.

During the test, a small sample of cells is taken from the cervix and sent off for testing.

The result usually comes back by letter in two weeks.

Cervical screening checks a sample of cells from your cervix for certain types of human papilloma virus, or HPV.

Now, you might have already been offered a vaccination called the HPV vaccine in your educational setting.

These types of HPV can cause abnormal changes to the cells in your cervix, and are called high-risk types of HPV.

If these types of HPV are found during screening, the sample of cells is then checked for abnormal changes.

And if abnormal cells are not treated, they may turn into cervical cancer.

We will now be watching a video to show what happens at a cervical screening.

It lasts for around 24 to 25 seconds.

So if you would like to skip this part, do so now.

An instrument called a speculum will be inserted into your vagina and used to open the walls of the vagina so that your cervix can be seen.

A soft brush is then inserted through the speculum onto your cervix.

The brush will be rotated a few times to collect the sample.

The brush will then be washed in a specimen pot and the pot will be sent to the lab for processing.

So what does happen at a smear test? Well, you will be asked to undress from the waist down and you'll be given a screen to do this behind.

You will also be given a sheet to put over yourself.

The nurse will ask you to lie back on the bed, usually with your legs bent and your feet together.

Your knees will need to be apart.

Sometimes they might ask you to change position during the test, and that's completely normal.

They will gently put a smooth tube-shaped tool called a speculum into your vagina, and a small amount of lubricant may be used.

The nurse will open the speculum so that they can see your cervix, and using a soft brush, they will take a small sample of your cells from your cervix.

The nurse will then close and remove the speculum and leave you to get dressed.

It's really important to remember that you are in control of the screening and you can ask the nurse to stop at any time.

Try to wear something that you can leave on during the test, for example, a skirt or a long jumper, and feel free to bring someone with you for support.

Try breathing exercises to help you relax and ask the nurse for smaller speculum if you wish.

You might even ask yourself to go into a different position if that is more comfortable for you.

Try even to bring something to listen or read during the test if that makes you more comfortable.

We shall now end the lesson with a reflection.

The main benefit of screening is the early detection of a problem before any symptoms develop.

All women and people with a cervix are offered a smear test for cervical screening between the ages of 25 to 64.

This is not a test for cancer, but a test to help prevent cancer.

Thank you for taking part in this lesson.

You now have an exit quiz to complete.

If you would like to share any notes with us at Oak National then please check with a parent and carer and use the hashtag #LearnwithOak.

Thank you again for joining me, and goodbye.