Towards Mapping the Problem Space of Cervical Cancer Patients' Journeys in Sub-Saharan Africa
Netsanet Mengistie (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
Himanshu Verma (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
Alessandro Bozzon (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
Jan Carel Diehl (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
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Abstract
Access to cervical cancer care remains limited in sub-Saharan Africa, where women face compounded socio-cultural, gendered, and structural barriers. This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of nine women diagnosed with cervical cancer in Ethiopia and develops an empirically grounded patient journey map as a design and process artifact based on semi-structured interviews. The journey map reveals fragmented, non-linear care pathways, showing how barriers accumulate from symptom recognition through diagnosis, treatment, and post-treatment support. By visualizing breakdowns and transitions across the care path, the artifact supports problem framing, reflection, and identification of design opportunities. These disruptions intensify emotional and practical burdens, highlighting critical gaps in health literacy, information access, and continuity of care in the healthcare structure. The journey map defines a design-relevant problem space for context-sensitive digital health interventions. This work provides evidence for HCI researchers and practitioners to address accessibility barriers in cervical cancer care in low-resource settings.
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