title: Awareness of human papillomavirus infection, testing and vaccination in midwives and midwifery students in Greece.
abstract: Midwives play an important role in the implementation of cervical cancer screening. We assessed the knowledge of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and of its relationship with cervical cancer in 107 midwives and 29 graduating midwifery students. The majority of midwives (78.5%) were aware that a viral infection causes cervical cancer, whereas only 48.3% of the students knew this (p = 0.003). Only one midwife (0.9%) was not aware of HPV infection compared with 10.3% of the students (p = 0.029). Midwives were also more knowledgeable of the relationship between HPV infection and cervical cancer and of the availability of a vaccine against HPV infection (p = 0.005 and p < 0.0001, respectively). In conclusion, Greek midwives have a satisfactory level of knowledge about cervical cancer and HPV infection, in contrast to midwifery students. It is important to better educate midwifery students in order to facilitate the incorporation of HPV testing and vaccination in clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hippokration Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece. konstantinosdinas@yahoo.gr
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dinas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nasioutziki
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Arvanitidou
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mavromatidis
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Loufopoulos
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pantazis
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dovas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Daniilidis
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tsampazis
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zepiridis
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Theodoridis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loufopoulos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008880:Midwifery / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000517:prevention & control; D013336:Students, Health Occupations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology*; D055815:Young Adult