Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Mar;11(1):48-57.

Knowledge of cervical cancer and screening practices of nurses at a regional hospital in Tanzania

M Urasa  1 , E Darj
Affiliations

Knowledge of cervical cancer and screening practices of nurses at a regional hospital in Tanzania

M Urasa et al. Afr Health Sci. 2011 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Cervical cancer, the most common cancer among women in Tanzania is strongly linked to Human Papilloma Virus. Precancerous lesions can be detected by Papanicolau smear screening. Nurses, being the largest group of health workers, have an important role in promotion of cervical cancer screening.

Objectives: To determine nurses' awareness of cervical cancer and their own screening practices at a hospital in Tanzania.

Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study using questionnaires on 137 nurses. Data analysis was made by descriptive statistics and chi square tests.

Results: Less than half of the nurses had adequate knowledge regarding cervical cancer. There was a significant association between knowledge levels of causes of cervical cancer and transmission of HPV and age. Knowledge was more adequate among the young nurses (p = 0.027) and knowledge differed significantly between cadres. Registered nurses had more adequate knowledge than enrolled nurses (p = 0.006). The majority did not know screening intervals and a few were aware of HPV vaccine. Most nurses (84.6%) had never had a Pap smear examination.

Conclusion: These results reflect a need for continuing medical education, creation of cervical cancer prevention policies and strategies at all levels of the health sector.

Keywords: Cervical cancer; HPV; knowledge; nurses.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Knowledge of cervical cancer treatment options
Figure 2
Figure 2
Nurses' sources of cervical cancer information
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Comprehensive cervical cancer control; a guide to essential practice. WHO. 2006 - PubMed
    1. Cervical screening in developing countries: Report of a WHO consultation. 2002
    1. WHO/ICO Information Centre on HPV and Cervical Cancer (HPV Information Centre), author Summary report on HPV and cervical cancer statistics in Tanzania. 2007. [29 April 2009]. www.who.int/hpvcentre.
    1. Cancer in Africa: Epidemiology and prevention. [29 April 2009]. http://www.iarc.fr/en/publications/pdfsonline/epi/sp153/SP153-7.pdf.
    1. Kahesa C, Mwaiselage J, Wabinga HR, Ngoma T, Kalyango JN, Karamagi C. Association between invasive cancer of the cervix and HIV-1 infection in Tanzania: the need for dual screening. BMC Public Health. 2008;8(1):262. - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms