Knowledge, perception and cervical cancer screening practices among nurses and midwives: a case study of Our Lady of Grace Hospital in the Asikuma Odoben Brakwa district, Central region-Ghana

Abstract

Background: Cervical cancer prevention can be achieved through comprehensive programs involving education, awareness creation, vaccination, screening, and early treatment. Health workers have a vital role to play in achieving this. Hence, they must be adequately equipped with the requisite knowledge of the condition since they provide information to their clients.Objective: This study determined the knowledge, perception, and screening practices on cervical cancer among female nurses and midwives in the Central Region of Ghana.Method: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional survey amongst nurses and midwives was used for the study. A conveniencesampling technique was applied to yield a representative sample of 130 female nurses and midwives working in Our Lady of Grace Hospital in the Central Region, Ghana. Data was collected from the participants using a self-administered questionnaire.The data was analysed using SPSS version 20, and standard descriptive statistics such as proportions were used to summarize the survey data.Results: Almost all the nurses (99%) had heard of cervical cancer. Majority (97.1%) of the respondents believed cervical cancer is preventable however, 67.6% also believed that it is incurable. Almost half (42.2%) of the respondents did not perceive themselves as at risk of cervical cancer. Thus, only 11.8% of the nurses had ever screened for cervical cancer. However, majority (92.2%) were willing to recommend the screening to others.Conclusion: The respondents of this study had some knowledge of cervical cancer however had low patronage for recommendedscreening practices. Therefore, strategies must be implemented to increase screening practices among female nurses.