Knowledge, attitude, and practices towards cervical cancer screening and associated factors among female healthcare professionals in public hospitals of Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia, 2026: A facility-based cross-sectional study
This 2026 facility-based cross-sectional study in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, reveals that while female healthcare professionals possess high knowledge of cervical cancer screening, their positive attitudes and screening practices remain low, with training, contraceptive use, and sexual history identified as significant associated factors.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
Cervical cancer is a disease that begins with small, silent changes in the cells of the cervix, the lower part of the womb. These changes are almost always caused by a common virus passed during sexual contact. The tragedy of this disease is that it is largely preventable. If these early cell changes are found through a simple screening test, they can be treated before they ever turn into cancer. In wealthy nations, where regular screening is common, this disease has become rare. However, in many developing countries, it remains a leading cause of death for women, often because people do not know about the screening or are afraid to get tested. The people who work in hospitals are usually the first line of defense, the ones who teach patients about these tests and encourage them to come in. But for this system to work, the healthcare workers themselves must understand the disease, believe in the value of screening, and have actually undergone the test themselves.
Researchers in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, decided to look closely at the women working in public hospitals there to see if they were walking the talk. They wanted to know what these female doctors, nurses, and other medical staff knew about cervical cancer, how they felt about it, and whether they had actually gone for a screening test. The team gathered 420 women from three major public hospitals in the city. They asked detailed questions about their education, their jobs, their personal health history, and their views on the disease. The goal was to find out if the people tasked with saving others' lives were protecting their own, and to discover what factors helped or hindered their willingness to get screened.
The results revealed a striking gap between what these women knew and what they did. The vast majority of the participants, nearly 80 percent, demonstrated a strong understanding of cervical cancer. They knew what caused it, how it spreads, and why screening matters. Their knowledge was significantly higher than what has been found in other parts of Ethiopia and even in some other countries. Yet, this high level of knowledge did not translate into action. Only about one-quarter of the women had ever undergone a cervical cancer screening test. While most held a generally positive attitude toward the idea of screening, fewer than 60 percent actually felt that way, and the practice of getting tested remained low. It is as if the women had the map but had not yet taken the journey.
The study dug deeper to understand why this gap existed. The researchers found that women who had received specific training about cervical cancer screening were much more likely to have good knowledge. Similarly, those who had used condoms in the past were also better informed, suggesting that personal engagement with sexual health education correlates with understanding the disease. When it came to attitude, the picture shifted slightly. Women who used oral contraceptives, those who had received training, and those who had given birth to one or two children were more likely to have a positive view of screening. Interestingly, having more than three children was linked to a less positive attitude, perhaps indicating that the demands of a large family or different life stages might shift priorities away from personal health checks.
The factors that influenced whether a woman actually got screened were different from those that influenced her knowledge or attitude. The study showed that age played a role, with women in their thirties being less likely to get screened than those over forty. Perhaps most surprisingly, the researchers found that women who had never had casual sex were less likely to get screened than those who had. This counterintuitive finding suggests that women who perceive themselves to be at higher risk due to their sexual history might be more motivated to seek out testing, while those who feel low-risk might assume they do not need it. The availability of screening services at the hospital was not the main barrier; the women knew the services existed, but they simply were not using them.
Ultimately, the study paints a clear picture of a workforce that is well-informed but not fully engaged in its own prevention. The women in these hospitals know the facts, but that knowledge has not yet become a habit. The researchers concluded that while the knowledge base is strong, the attitude and practice levels need significant improvement. They recommend that hospitals focus on providing more training specifically designed to change attitudes and encourage action, rather than just repeating facts that the staff already know. By addressing the specific reasons why these women are not getting tested, such as the false sense of security felt by those who perceive themselves as low-risk, health systems can better ensure that the very people who are supposed to be the guardians of public health are also taking care of themselves.
Drowning in papers in your field?
Get daily digests of the most novel papers matching your research keywords — with technical summaries, in your language.