Abstract To understand how nurses perceive the performance of cervical cancer screening activities in Primary Health Care in the city of Rio de Janeiro, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to discuss their experiences in view of the concept of comprehensive health care. Methods: Qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive study conducted from April to July 2021. Semi-structured interviews were used to obtain data and, as a research technique, Thematic Content Analysis, according to Bardin, was used to study the testimonies. Results: Categories constructed: Decreased presence of users in health services; The COVID-19 pandemic has compromised the scheduling of cervical cytology tests. Final considerations: The COVID-19 pandemic generated a health crisis that exposed the weaknesses of the services, such as gaps in the follow-up of users of the National Program to Combat Cervical Cancer, compromising the longitudinality and comprehensiveness of health care. The focus on Primary Health Care is relevant in building resilient teams that respond to emergency demands and minimize damage related to essential activities, such as discontinuing cervical cancer screening.
Santos et al. (Wed,) studied this question.