A Cross-Sectional Study on Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Related to Cervical Cancer Screening Among the Nursing Staff in a Tertiary Care Hospital in the Western Region of India

Background Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally. It is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in females in India. Cervical cancer has a long latent precancerous period from index human papillomavirus (HPV) infection to potential cancer development, making screening one of the most effective methods of cancer prevention. Despite the national cancer prevention programme for cancer cervix, with defined guidelines for cervical cancer screening by the auxiliary nurse midwives (ANM) and nurses, cervical cancer screening is very limited in India. In this study, we aim to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices related to cervical cancer and screening methods among the nursing staff in a tertiary care hospital attached to a medical teaching institute. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted by a semi-structured questionnaire in a tertiary care hospital in Morbi, situated in the western region of India, between November and December 2023. Female nursing staff of the hospital in the age of 20 to 60 years were included as study participants. The study was approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee. Results In the study, 64.9% of participants were in the age group of 20-29 years, and 52.6% were unmarried, forming a major portion of the study group being of young age. Of the participants, 70.1% identified cancer of the cervix as a major public health problem. Only 28.8% of the participants had adequate and comprehensive knowledge of cervical cancer screening. Though 92.8% of the participants knew of Pap smear as a cervical cancer screening method, only 12.4% of participants were aware of the visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and 2% were aware of HPV testing as a tool for cervical cancer screening. Only 5.2% of the study participants had themselves been screened for cervical cancer. Of the participants, 87.6% had never taken a Pap smear, and 95.8% of participants had never taken VIA of any woman. A total of 32.3% of participants gave the reason of not having adequate skills to perform VIA as the reason for not ever having screened the patient with VIA. A total of 6.2% of participants had been trained in cervical screening methods formally. Conclusion The limited knowledge of the nursing staff of cervical cancer and its screening and low self-screening prevalence among healthcare professionals highlight the need to increase awareness of cervical cancer and screening to bring the impetus to training and result-driven implementation of screening programmes for cervical cancer in India.