Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana.
College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Durban, South Africa.
J Oncol Pharm Pract. 2022 Jan;28(1):64-73. doi: 10.1177/1078155220983413. Epub 2021 Jan 11.
Though there are controversies, cancer screening has been suggested to decrease mortality. Over the years, the most accessible primary healthcare provider; the community pharmacist, has developed an interest in being part of cancer screening activities and prevention of a wide range of other non-communicable diseases. To achieve this, community pharmacists need a working knowledge of the basic screening test and recommendations. Also, it's important to acknowledge the barriers that may prevent the implementation of cancer-screening efforts at the community pharmacy. This study aims to determine the knowledge and barriers to cancer screening among Ghanaian community pharmacists.
Knowledge and barriers to cancer screening was assessed using an online questionnaire in 435 community pharmacists. Descriptive statistics and Pearson's chi-squared tests were used to analyze the data.
The reliability and validity assessment of the questionnaire after data collection revealed a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.82 for knowledge on cancer screening. The SD and mean age of study participants were 2.48 ± 20.08. Only 25.7% of the participants had good knowledge. The most identified barrier was the lack of established guidelines (60.9%). There was no association between participants' demographics and their knowledge scores.
Community pharmacists can potentially have a large impact on early detection of cancer through screening. However, they have to improve their knowledge on general screening guidelines and be aware of available educational resources to increase their knowledge. It is also important for all stakeholders to come together to establish local screening modalities and recommendations for the country.
尽管存在争议，但癌症筛查被认为可以降低死亡率。多年来，最容易接触到的初级保健提供者——社区药剂师，已经对参与癌症筛查活动和预防广泛的其他非传染性疾病产生了兴趣。为了实现这一目标，社区药剂师需要对基本的筛查测试和建议有一定的了解。此外，还必须认识到可能会阻止在社区药房实施癌症筛查工作的障碍。本研究旨在确定加纳社区药剂师对癌症筛查的知识和障碍。
使用在线问卷评估了 435 名社区药剂师对癌症筛查的知识和障碍。使用描述性统计和 Pearson 卡方检验对数据进行分析。
数据收集后对问卷的可靠性和有效性评估显示，癌症筛查知识的 Cronbach's alpha 值为 0.82。研究参与者的 SD 和平均年龄为 2.48 ± 20.08。只有 25.7%的参与者具有良好的知识。最被识别的障碍是缺乏既定的指南（60.9%）。参与者的人口统计学特征与他们的知识得分之间没有关联。
社区药剂师通过筛查有可能对癌症的早期发现产生重大影响。然而，他们必须提高对一般筛查指南的了解，并意识到可用的教育资源，以增加他们的知识。所有利益相关者共同努力为国家建立当地的筛查模式和建议也很重要。
