Developing personas and empathy maps to understand perceptions of HPV self-sampling in the Somali American Community.
Ayantu Tolessa, Rachel L Winer, Christina Bliss Barsness and 10 others
PMID 42715625WHAT IT FOUND
Somali American women in Minnesota described varied reasons for avoiding cervical screening, from trauma and modesty to lack of knowledge.
Nurses and providers may use these six patient personas to tailor education and offer HPV self-sampling, rather than assuming a single barrier.
Key findings
01Participants identified distinct barriers at individual, interpersonal, and community levels, including fear of pain, lack of interpreters, and cultural modesty.
02Six hypothetical patient personas were developed to represent diverse experiences, ranging from the 'Unfamiliar Individual' to the 'Peer Advocate'.
03Most participants expressed a preference for HPV self-sampling due to privacy and comfort, though some remained hesitant due to past trauma or fear of incorrect collection.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted in Minnesota with Somali American women, so findings may not generalize to other communities or settings. The sample size was small (44 women) and focused on ages 30 to 65, excluding younger adults recommended for screening. The personas and empathy maps are hypothetical representations created by researchers, not co-developed with patients, which risks overgeneralization or stereotyping. This was a secondary analysis, so the original focus groups were not designed specifically to create personas.
Declared interests
The paper does not explicitly state funding sources or author conflicts of interest in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these six personas as fixed categories or diagnostic tools for all Somali American women. They are hypothetical constructs based on a small, local sample and were not validated by the participants themselves. Using them rigidly may reinforce stereotypes rather than address individual patient needs.