Evaluation of the patients who apply to family medicine policlinic

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine knowledge, attitude and behaviors of cancer screening.

Methods: The participants of the study were 752 persons, aged between 18-69 years, who applied to family medicine policlinic for examination. A survey that we developed which included knowledge, attitude and behavior towards cancer screening was applied to the participants through face-to-face interviews. After that, participants received information about cancer screening, with the help of a brochure developed by researchers, and they were evaluated by asking some questions again.

Results: The female ratio of the participants was 58.4% and the male ratio was 41.6%. The highest participant group in terms of education was university graduates with 48.3%. When family history of cancer is questioned; of the 65% didn’t have a history of cancer in their families, while 35% had a family history of cancer. Of 752, 576 applicants (76.6%) has never been screened for cancer before; while of 176 (23.4%) had been screened for cancer at least once. When the participants were questioned about their will to get screened for cancer, we have reached to the conclusion that 402 people (53.5%) did not want to be screened, whereas 350 people (46.5%) wanted to be screened for cancer.Out of these participants, 16.4% participants have previously taken Pap smear / HPV-DNA, 14.0% participants have taken mammography, 2% participants have taken colonoscopy, 1.6% participants have taken the test for occult blood in stool and 0.7% participants have taken the PSA scan. It has been found that when the participants were educated in cancer screening and their wills to get tested were compared for each type of cancer pre-education and post-education; the will to get tested for cervical cancer was 35.2% pre-education and 73.3% post-education. For breast cancer, it was 43.4% pre-education and 50.3% post-education; for lung cancer, it was 57.2% pre-education and 49.9% post-education; for colorectal cancer, it was 34.5% preeducation and 20.7% post-education; and for prostate cancer, it was 20.9% pre-education and 10% post-education. The will to get screened for cancer was low among the participants who had an educational level of college or higher, while it was high among the other participants (p=0.093). When health professionals are held apart, the will to get screened for cancer is high in other occupational groups (p=0.002). Most of the health professionals didn’t want to get screened for cancer (p=0.044).

Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the participants’ knowledge about cancer screening is insufficient. Most of the participants want to be screened but don’t know which types of cancer they should be screened for and they don’t get screened for this reason. Then providing proper education to the primary care patients in the healthcare organizations they consult to, preparing proper training materials and conveying them to the patients can cause a change in behavior.