Knowledge of the management of precancerous cervical lesions by health professionals in a low complexity state social enterprise in the department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia

Conocimiento del manejo de las lesiones precancerosas de cérvix de los profesionales de salud, en una empresa social del estado de baja complejidad del departamento del Valle del Cauca, Colombia

Introduction: Cervical cancer, according to estimates from the Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN), was the third cause of cancer and the fourth cause of mortality associated with cancer in Colombia during 2020. Despite multiple screening and detection interventions in the country, The expected results have not been obtained in terms of a decrease in cases of cervical cancer and an increase in the early diagnosis of premalignant lesions. Objective: To determine the knowledge of health personnel about precancerous lesions of the cervix, according to the Colombian clinical practice guide, in a low-complexity State Social Enterprise in the department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Materials and methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study in 42 health professionals, made up of doctors, professional nurses and nursing assistants from a low-complexity hospital entity in the department of Valle del Cauca, through a self-administered virtual survey. With the results obtained, univariate analyzes of the included variables were carried out, and using frequency tables, bar graphs and cakes, the behavior of the analysis variables was described. Results: 42 participants were included, with an average age of 34 years; 57% were nursing assistants and professional nurses. The average work experience in years was 9. 54.8% of participants had received training to perform cervical cancer screening. Knowledge of risk factors is significantly affected by the occupation of health personnel. When evaluating the screening and diagnosis of precancerous lesions of the cervix, it was found that most respondents know that screening is related to their detection. In relation to treatment, between 79 and 100% of pro- fessionals know the therapeutic alternatives. Regarding the behavior of health personnel regarding the results of the screening and the subsequent management approach, the doctors had a higher percentage of overall correctness. Conclusion: The study shows that there were misconceptions and inadequate approaches among the health professionals surveyed. It is necessary for low-complexity health entities to develop and disseminate cervical cancer prevention guidelines and health education materials to ensure standardization of the quality of services provided by health workers.