Knowledge and use of different breast cancer screening tools among primary care physicians: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: in Uruguay, breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of cancer incidence and mortality in women. Objective: to understand the implementation of BC screening among primary care physicians in routine clinical practice and the degree of adherence to the recommendations put forward in 2015 by the Ministry of Public Health (MPH) for the early detection of BC. Materials and methods: this was a descriptive, cross-sectional, observational study. An anonymous survey was administered to physicians working in primary care. Results: 169 physicians were included, 89.4% (151) consider the use of screening mammography decreases mortality from BC, 54.4% (92) indicate mammography from 40 years of age and 38.5% (65) from 50 years of age. The majority (56.8%, 96) indicate mammography every 2 years in the population of women aged 50-69 years. Of the respondents, 65.7% (111) were aware of the national guidelines and 47.9% (81) followed them, while 18.9% (32) followed recommendations from other scientific bodies. Conclusion: this study showed that primary care physicians make correct use of the different BC screening tools. Active measures are needed to develop educational programs for healthcare personnel, which may enable them to disseminate knowledge and positively influence patients' attitudes.