Aldarmahi Ahmed, Alzahrani Hanan, Alqutub Sulafah, Alzahrani Faisal
College of Science and Health Professions, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
J Med Life. 2023 May;16(5):773-781. doi: 10.25122/jml-2022-0344.
Cervical cancer is a significant cause of female mortality worldwide, and early detection through regular screening is crucial for reducing mortality rates. However, in developing countries, the uptake of Pap smear tests (PST) is low, mostly due to cultural and social factors and a lack of knowledge. This cross-sectional study assessed knowledge, attitude, and practice of cervical cancer screening among practitioners working at primary healthcare centers in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the study aimed to identify the potential barriers that prevent female physicians from performing cervical cancer screening tests. A self-administrated, well-structured questionnaire was used to survey 95 female physicians, including residents, specialists, and consultants in several primary health care centers (PHCCs) in Jeddah managed by the Ministry of Health during September 2019. The results showed that 80% of participants knew about cervical cancer, and 97.8% were aware that PST is a screening tool. However, only 47% advised female patients to get tested for cervical cancer. The factors identified as barriers to test uptake included asymptomatic females (34%), lack of time on the part of the practitioner (24%), and a lack of evidence for risk factors (23%). Additionally, only 42.2% of the participating physicians had undergone a Pap smear test themselves. The study highlights the need for further research to assess HPV status in the population and explore the correlation between circumcision and cervical cancer, as well as polygamy and cervical cancer. The findings suggest that while a good level of knowledge about cervical cancer exists, there is a need to improve compliance with cervical cancer screening guidelines among female physicians in Saudi Arabia.
宫颈癌是全球女性死亡的一个重要原因，通过定期筛查进行早期检测对于降低死亡率至关重要。然而，在发展中国家，巴氏涂片检查（PST）的接受率较低，主要是由于文化和社会因素以及知识的缺乏。这项横断面研究评估了沙特阿拉伯初级医疗保健中心从业者对宫颈癌筛查的知识、态度和实践。此外，该研究旨在确定阻碍女医生进行宫颈癌筛查测试的潜在障碍。2019年9月，采用一份自行管理、结构良好的问卷对吉达几家由卫生部管理的初级卫生保健中心（PHCCs）的95名女医生进行了调查，这些女医生包括住院医生、专科医生和顾问。结果显示，80%的参与者了解宫颈癌，97.8%的人知道PST是一种筛查工具。然而，只有47%的人建议女性患者进行宫颈癌检测。被确定为检测接受障碍的因素包括无症状女性（34%）、从业者时间不足（24%）以及缺乏危险因素的证据（23%）。此外，只有42.2%的参与医生自己做过巴氏涂片检查。该研究强调需要进一步研究以评估人群中的人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）状况，并探索包皮环切与宫颈癌以及一夫多妻制与宫颈癌之间的相关性。研究结果表明，虽然对宫颈癌有一定程度的了解，但沙特阿拉伯的女医生需要提高对宫颈癌筛查指南的依从性。
