title: Health-care providers' perceptions, attitudes towards and recommendation practice of cervical cancer screening.
abstract: In Libya, cervical cancer is ranked third as the most frequent cancer among women with early diagnosis being shown to reduce morbidity and mortality. Health-care providers can influence women's screening behaviours, and their lack of recommendations for screening can be one of the barriers that affect women's participation in screening programmes. This study aims to assess the health-care provider's perception around cervical cancer screening. In-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 16 health-care providers, from both public and private sectors in Az-Zawiya city, Libya, between February and July of 2014. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, then analysed using thematic analysis. Our findings suggest that health-care providers did not provide sufficient information regarding cervical cancer screening for women who attend health-care facilities. The results highlight the role played by health-care professionals in motivating women to attend cervical cancer screening programs, and the need for health education of health-care providers to offer a precious advice regarding the screening. On the other hand, health-care providers highlighted that implementation of reminding system of cervical cancer screening will support them to improve screening attendance. In addition, health-care providers stressed the necessity for educational and awareness campaigns of cervical cancer screening among Libyan women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: N Ab
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Hweissa
authors.affiliation: Department of Allied and Public Health, Faculty of Medical Science, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: J N W
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Centre for Population Health (CePH), Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Su
mesh_terms: D000329:Advertising; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001364:Awareness; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D005102:Health Expenditures; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008002:Libya; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010465:Perception; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D017149:Private Sector; D017150:Public Sector; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D017010:Reminder Systems; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Libya; attitudes; cervical cancer; health-care providers; perceptions; recommendation practice