Screening Practices, Knowledge and Adherence Among Health Care Professionals at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Naila A Shaheen; Ahmed Alaskar; Abdulrahman Almuflih; Naif Muhanna; Sufyan Barrak Alzomia; Mohammed A Hussein

doi:10.2147/IJGM.S329056

Screening Practices, Knowledge and Adherence Among Health Care Professionals at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Int J Gen Med. 2021 Oct 20:14:6975-6989. doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S329056. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Naila A Shaheen^{1

2

3}, Ahmed Alaskar^{2

3

4

5}, Abdulrahman Almuflih², Naif Muhanna², Sufyan Barrak Alzomia², Mohammed A Hussein^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
² King Saud BIN Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
³ Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Division of Adult Hematology and SCT, King Abdul-Aziz Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
⁵ King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Introduction: Screening, a routine procedure done on individuals with or without disease, results in the early detection of disease. The aim of this study was to assess healthcare professionals' (HCPs) level of knowledge related to and the adherence to screening.

Methods: A survey was conducted in HCPs, using a self-administered questionnaire. Knowledge was defined based on the correct or incorrect responses to the questions. Adherence to screening was considered if a test was done at least once in the past one year.

Results: Of the 379 participants, 61% were nurses, 34% physicians, and 5% pharmacists. The majority 68.78% were female. The average age of pharmacists was 29.17±7.09, physicians 35.57±10.08, and nurses 35.46±8.63 years. The knowledge related to breast cancer screening ranged between 50% and 57% and of a Pap smear, 41-54%. 94% nurses and 90% pharmacists had recorded an incorrect response to the required age of colon cancer screening. The overall screening adherence to diabetes was 46%, hypertension 68%, liver profile 43%, lipid profile 50%, breast cancer 10.38%, Pap smear 26%, prostate cancer 33%, and colon cancer 2.37%. HCPs aged ≥45 years had good adherence to diabetes screening. Pharmacists (88%) had the highest level of adherence to hypertension screening. Female HCPs poorly adhered to breast 38% and cervical cancer 26% screening. Only a third 33% of males, aged > 50 years, were screened for prostate cancer. Among HCPs aged ≥50 years (n=32), only three were screened for colon cancer.

Conclusion: Despite the increased incidence of diabetes, breast and colon cancer in Saudi Arabia, HCPs displayed poor knowledge related to screening. The adherence to diabetes screening was good. However, HCPs in a high-risk group displayed poor adherence to screening, specifically for breast, cervical and colon cancer. The medical and cancer screening guidelines should be made available to all HCPs regardless of their specialty.

Keywords: cancer screening; healthcare professionals; medical screening; prevention; screening.

Grants and funding

The authors received no specific funding for this research.