Awareness of Cervical Cancer Risk Factors, Screening Practices and Attitudes among Nurses in a Primary Health Care Setting of Morocco: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

The effectiveness of the cervical cancer screening activities depends on physicians and nurses’ level of awareness and their adherence to the program. Aim: To characterize nurse’s awareness, attitude and practice on cervical cancer screening in Morocco. Method: A national cross sectional study conducted on July 2011 in a representative sample of nurses carrying out in Moroccan health care facilities. Five Moroccan regions were selected and 22 centers were included with a total of 306 nurses. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on Socio demographic characteristics, Awareness about cervical cancer’s risk factors, HPV’s vaccination, and attitude regarding cervical cancer screening using the VIA test. Result: A total of 306 nurses were included in the survey, the mean age was 45,15±10,66 years, the majority of them (95, 5%) were females and carrying out in Urban health care facilities (83, 4%). When we asked nurses about their daily screening activities, 90% of them admitted they provide occasionally tests for cervical cancer screening for their patients but not regularly and not for all eligible patients. Univariate analysis of the data showed that nurses who work in rural areas (p<0,02), who had less seniority in the public service (p<0, 05) and who were younger (p<0,04), were less likely to perform cervical cancer screening in order to meet the targeted program’s objectives. After adjustment on confounding factors, working in the rural area remained the only associated factor with low screening practice among nurses (OR = 2, 9; p<0, 02). Conclusion: This study showed certain weaknesses regarding the functioning of the early detection program for cervical cancer at the primary health care level; mainly it shown the non-adherence of nurses at the rural area.