Abstract: Objective: To explore cervical cancer screening behavior and its barriers among HIV-positive women. Methods: Phenomenological research method was employed. Using the purposive sampling method, totally 15 HIV-positive women were recruited in two HIV clinics of the infectious diseases hospitals from two cities of Hunan province. These women were semi-structured interviewed from August 2019 to January 2020. The data was categorized and analyzed by Colaizzi's 7-step method. Results: There were 3 themes and 9 sub-themes, including neglected cervical cancer risk screening (lack of attention to cervical cancer risk among HIV-positive women, and lack of education by medical staff on cervical cancer prevention and treatment among HIV-positive women); HIV infection-related obstacles to cervical cancer screening (fear of being rejected by non-HIV-designated hospitals, fear of being discriminated against, fear of information leakage of HIV infection due to screening, physical weakness related to HIV infection, pessimism related to HIV infection); expectations (enrollment of cervical cancer screening in HIV clinics, participation in screening with patients). Conclusion: The current status of cervical cancer screening in HIV-positive women is not optimistic, and there are specific barriers to participation in cervical cancer screening for this group. The results of this study provide a reference for promoting the participation of this group in screening. Medical staff in HIV clinics should carry out health education related to cervical cancer prevention and treatment for this group, and may consider providing gynecological health examination services in HIV clinics to improve the participation of this group in screening.

Key words: HIV infectors; women; cervical cancer; screening behavior; qualitative research