Knowledge and awareness of auxiliary health personnel about colorectal cancer

Abstract

Background/aims: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. On the other hand, it is one of the most preventable cancers. There are effective treatment choices only if it is diagnosed at an early stage. Therefore, the screening programs are essential and the role of auxiliary health personnel is pivotal. Our study aimed to evaluate the awareness and knowledge of nurses on this subject.

Materials and methods: We prepared a questionnaire for 100 participants. The questionnaire contained ten questions about the disease. The participants were chosen from big hospitals where high percentages of this disease are observed. We achieved 100 percent attendance to our survey. All of the questionnaires were completed by the planned study population and evaluated.

Results: There were satisfactory answers about the definition of colorectal cancer, incidence rate, general sign, symptoms, and prevention. The true answer rate was at least 69% for these questions. All participants had enough knowledge about what the colonoscopy procedure is, however, 25% had misinformation about haemorrhoidal disease. A quarter of the study population had no satisfactory knowledge about early diagnosis and screening.

Conclusions: Since early diagnosis is very important for colorectal cancer survival rates, screening tests are vital. There are no established screening programs in Turkey. Turkey has to establish and implement these sorts of programs. Certainly, regular screening programs provide public awareness, help prevent colorectal cancer and reduce the mortality rates. We found some knowledge deficiency among auxiliary healthcare personnel about potential causes of colorectal cancer, early diagnosis, and screening. They must be trained and empowered to take active roles in screening programs.