Prophylactic Examinations For Cervical Cancer – Mandatory Precaution That Can Save A Life

Introduction: Cervical cancer is the second most common oncological disease among women after breast cancer. It is preventable in 99% of cases, provided that early prevention is performed. Very often women pay attention to the prevention of their gynaecological health only when there are serious health problems. Early prevention is one of the main tasks of midwives working in this sector. Purpose : To examine the attitude of women to the prevention of cervical cancer. In that regard, two main goals are set: 1) to establish women's awareness of prevention methods for cervical cancer 2) to analyse their knowledge about regular gynaecological examinations. Materials and methods: 120 women were interviewed, 60 of them were patients of “Complex oncology centre - Shumen” and the other 60 were healthy women, selected randomly. Methods used are as follows: A survey method (direct, group, anonymous survey), analysis of literature sources, documentary method. The data was processed by statistical and graphical analysis. The research was conducted in the month of January 2020 in the city of Shumen. Results and discussion: The results of the research show relatively high frequency of the gynaecological examinations: 58% of diseased and 40% of the healthy woman indicated that once a year they take a preventive gynaecological examination. Every forth woman (25%) of both groups takes a preventive gynaecological examination twice a year, and 15% of all responders – three times a year. Conclusion: Prophylaxis and prevention are key to cervical cancer treatment. The establishment of a national program for the prevention of cervical cancer is a matter of state policy. Prophylactic examination is a matter of health culture and responsible personal behaviour.