Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices towards Cervical Cancer and Screening amongst Female Healthcare Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background Cervical cancer is a potentially preventable disease if appropriate screening and prophylactic strategies are employed. However, lack of knowledge and awareness can result in underutilization of the preventive strategies. Healthcare professionals with adequate knowledge play a huge role in influencing the beliefs and practices of the general public in a positive way. We assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of cervical cancer and screening amongst female healthcare professionals at King Fahad Medical City (KFMC), Saudi Arabia. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study on female healthcare professionals at KFMC. Data were collected using a predesigned, tested, and self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire included specific sections to test the participants' knowledge, attitude, and practices related to cervical cancer and its screening. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics. Results Data from 395 participants were included in the final analysis. The majority of the study participants were nurses (n = 261, 66.1%). The mean age of the participants was 34.7 years and 239 (60.5%) participants were married. Only 16 (4.0%) participants appeared to have good level knowledge of cervical cancer (in terms of risk factors, vulnerability, signs and symptoms, ways of prevention, and ways of screening) and 58 (14.7%) participants had fair level knowledge. A total of 343 (86.8%) participants believed that Pap smear test is a useful test for the detection of cervical cancer and 103 (26.2%) participants had undergone Pap smear testing. Conclusions Our study population showed poor knowledge of cervical cancer as a disease. The participants had a fair knowledge of Pap smear testing, but only a quarter of the cohort had undergone testing themselves. This study highlights the need for formal educational programs for the healthcare workers at KFMC specifically to improve their knowledge regarding the risk factors and early signs and symptoms of cervical cancer.

Awareness of Cervical Cancer and Attitude Toward Human Papillomavirus and Its Vaccine Among Ghanaians

“…The highest morbidity rates of cervical cancer were recorded in South-Eastern and South Central Asia, South-America, and sub-Saharan Africa (7). The age-standardization rates (ASR) per 100,000 women annually in West-Africa vary from 53.6 in Guinea, 39.5 in Ghana, 33.0 in Nigeria, 30 in Togo, and 28.6 in Burkina Faso in comparison to the 15.2 globally (8). The level of awareness and knowledge of cervical cancer etiology and HPV vaccination in women, to a great extent, influences their participation in screening and vaccination programs.…”

Cervical cancer vaccination awareness and acceptance among the females of Punjab, Pakistan

“…2 Even though cervical cancer is widespread, young females have a poor understanding of its cause (human papilloma virus, HPV), the risk factors involved, Pap (Papanicolaou) tests, and its prevention. 3,4 HPV remains the sole cause of cervical cancer. 5 Risk factors for cervical cancer include having multiple sexual partners, early onset of sexual activity, a high-risk sexual partner, smoking, history of sexually transmitted diseases (e.g., herpes simplex virus and Chlamydia trachomatis), continuous use of oral contraceptives, immunesuppression, low socioeconomic status, and a previous history of vulvar or vaginal squamous dysplasia.…”

Perceptions of Midwives on Pap Smear Tests during Pregnancy

“…When women are empowered with the knowledge they will probably take responsibility of their own health and seek for Pap smear test whenever it is due (DoH, 2017;Mingo et al, 2012). These findings concur with that of Heena et al, (2019) who found that health care workers at tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia lacked knowledge on the importance of Pap smear screening which affected Pap smear uptake in the area. On the contrary, a study by Manikkam (2016) found that midwives and pregnant mothers were aware and receptive of Pap smear screening.…”

“…Pregnancy is a potential opportunity to counsel and educate pregnant women regarding the significance of Pap smear (Manikkam, 2016). Studies have confirmed that Pap smear test is safely done during pregnancy irrespective of gestational age (Botha and Dreyer, 2017;Heena et al, 2019;Manikkam, 2016). Progressively, several studies have confirmed positive intraepithelial lesions detected during pregnancy (Ncube et al, 2019, Manikkam, 2016.…”

“…These findings were also reported in Ethiopia and the United States (Aweke et al, 2018) respectively. Even so, such missed opportunities are worrisome because cervical cancer is preventable disease if detected and treated early (Heena et al, 2019;Phaswana-Mafuya and Peltzer, 2017;Shashidhar and Jayasheelan, 2017). Moreover, such screening detects other sexually transmitted infections that can be harmful to the unborn baby.…”