title: Awareness and Practice of Self Breast Examination among Female Nurses at the Federal Teaching Hospital Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria.
abstract: Breast cancer is the most common female malignancy linked with high levels of morbidity and mortality in developing countries due to delayed diagnosis. This research assessed the knowledge of signs and risk factors of breast cancer and practice of self breast examination (SBE) among female nurses in a rural tertiary Hospital. Eighty-five nurses ages 20 to 60 years were sampled by simple randomization over a period of eight weeks through a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire. The analysis was done using statistical package for social science version 17. Sixteen (15.3%) nurses had adequate knowledge of breast cancer, having a relative with breast cancer (51.8%) and a woman of any age (56.5%) were recognized by majority as risk factors for breast cancer. Majority (68.2%) were not practicing monthly SBE and not confident on how to do it. This study pointed out the gaps in the knowledge and awareness of breast cancer and practice of SBE among the nurses. Opportunity should therefore be sought in various health facilities to educate nurses who are supposed to be closer to the patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine.
authors.forename: Olusegun Emmanuel
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Gabriel
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine.
authors.forename: Oluwaserimi Adewumi
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Ajetunmobi
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine.
authors.forename: Olabode Muftau
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Shabi
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine.
authors.forename: Olaide Toyin
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Elegbede
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
authors.forename: Raymond Akujuobi
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Okere
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Cardiology Unit, Federal Teaching Hospital , Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
authors.forename: Olusegun Adesola
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Busari
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital , Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Ayokunle Samuel
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Dada
keywords: Awareness; Breast cancer; Nurses; Self breast examination