Hana Kadhom
RCSI Bahrain, Bahrain
Title: Nurses need to educate the public about self examination. But, do they examine themselves?
Biography
Biography: Hana Kadhom
Abstract
Breast cancer is a major health burden in Bahrain. Breast self-examination is one of the screening techniques which aid the early detection of abnormalities. Bahrain has a paucity of educational programs related to screening for breast cancer in schools. Nursing students, and in turn, nursing professionals have a pivotal role and a unique responsibility to protect themselves and the public through information. We performed a study which explored the knowledge level and the attitudes that influence the compliance with recommended practices for breast self-examination, among student nurses. This was a cross-sectional quantitative descriptive study. A total of 348 undergraduate nursing students at a School of Nursing and Midwifery in Bahrain were selected randomly and surveyed using a questionnaire. Our findings showed a positive attitude and a moderate level of knowledge regarding breast self-examination. However, 61.2% of participants did not performing breast self-examination. The main motivating reason for students to carry out regular examination was to become more aware of their breasts (28.7%). The main reason for not performing breast self-examination was because participants had not experienced any symptoms (36.2%). A significant relationship was found between the knowledge score and the attitude (P < 0.05). There was a significant difference in the mean knowledge score between their age, year of study, and sex. There was also, a significant relationship between sex and attitudes. This highlights the need for breast self-examination awareness and the implementation of educational training programs. Improved awareness should improve performance of professional nurses in their role as educators within the community.