Nursing students` and nurses` knowledge and opinions on HPV as a cause of cervical cancer

Humani papiloma virusi pripadaju skupini DNA virusa koji se prenose kontaktom ili injekcijom. Danas postoji oko 200 tipova HPV-a, a njih četrdesetak zahvaća spolni sustav. Upravo je genitalna infekcija ovim virusom danas najčešća spolno prenosiva bolest. Tipovi niskog rizika uzrokuju dobroćudne anogenitalne promjene i intraepitalne lezije vrata maternice niskog stupnja, dok su visokorizični tipovi povezani s pojavom malignih promjena. Povezanost HPV-a i karcinoma materničnog vrata više nije upitna. Specifično protuvirusno liječenje još uvijek ne postoji zbog čega se liječiti mogu samo simptomi infekcije. S druge strane prevencija virusa je moguća putem bivalentnog i kvadrivalentnog cjepiva. Budući da se studenti sestrinstva i medicinske sestre/tehničari često susreću s HPV-om u svojoj službi prilikom brige za oboljele, ovo istraživanje bavilo se proučavanjem znanja i mišljenja istih o HPV-u kao uzroku karcinoma vrata maternice. Cilj istraživanja je ispitati mišljenje i razinu znanja studenata sestrinstva i medicinskih sestara/tehničara o HPV-u kao uzroku karcinoma vrata maternice. U SPSS 23 IBM programu za statističku obradu podataka napravljena je kvantitativna deskriptivna obrada podataka koja uključuje frekvenciju odgovora te deskriptivnih podataka upitnika znanja. Istraživanje je provedeno na 342 ispitanika putem Interneta i Google obrasca s konstruiranim anketnim upitnikom u svrhu ovog istraživanja. Istraživanje je bilo anonimno i dobrovoljno. Od 342 ispitanika njih 326 bilo je ženskog, 16 muškog spola, a 127 ispitanika bilo je između 18 i 25 godina, te je 126 njih imalo završeno srednjoškolsko obrazovanje. Njih 125 radi kao prvostupnik/ca sestrinstva. U upitniku znanja o HPV-u ispitanici su uglavnom dali točne odgovore. Od 15 pitanja, većina ispitanika točno je odgovorila na sva pitanja, osim na 10. i 13. pitanje gdje su odgovori uglavnom bili netočni. Njih 176 odgovorilo je kako bi se cijepili kad bi imali prilike, dok se je samo njih 31 cijepilo, a 334 ispitanika smatra kako populacija nije dovoljno upoznata s posljedicama infekcije HPV-om te njih 173 smatra kako bi edukacija djece u osnovnim školama te radionice za srednjoškolce bila najbolja mjera za smanjenje incidencije HPV-a. Njih 321 smatra kako zdravstveno osoblje ne posvećuje dovoljno vremena edukaciji populacije o spolno prenosivim bolestima uključujući i HPV, iako njih 187 nikad nije zatražilo pojašnjenje o HPV-u. Statistički nije pronađena nikakva razlika u znanju o HPV-u s obzirom na spol, dob i školovanje sudionika. Međutim, statistički značajna razlika u znanju o HPV-u postoji s obzirom na mišljenje sudionika o cjepivu za isti. Oni ispitanici koji do istraživanja nisu bili upoznati s cjepivom, pokazuju najniže znanje o HPV-u. Takvi rezultati pokazuju važnost daljnjeg obrazovanja, prvenstveno zdravstvenih radnika, kako bi u budućnosti smanjila incidencija HPV-a.HPV belongs to a group of DNA viruses that transfer through contact or injection. Today there are about 200 types of HPV and about 40 of them affect genital system. Genital infection is the most common sexual transmitted disease. Low risk types of viruses cause benigne anogenital changes and low risk intraepithelial lesions while high risk types cause malignant changes. Connection between HPV and cervical cancer is no longer questionable. Specific antivirus treatment is still not discovered wherefore only symptoms can be cured. On the other side, prevention is possible by means of bivalent and quadrivalent vaccine. Since that nursing students and nurses often encounter with it in their care for patients, this research wanted to show their knowledge and opinion of HPV as a cause of cervical cancer. The purpose of this research was to question nurses' and students' knowledge and opinion on HPV as a cause of cervical cancer. Quantitative descriptive data processing including answer frequency and descriptive data of knowledge questionnaire was made in SPSS 23 IBM programme for statistical data processing. Respondents and method: Reearch was carried out on 342 respondents through Internet and Google form with question poll. Research was anonymus and voluntarily. Of 342 respondents, 324 were women, and 15 men. Most of them, 127, were between 18 an 25 years old. 126 graduated from high school, and 125 were nursing bachelor. In question poll most of them knew answers on every question, except on 10th and 13th question where they chose wrong answer. 176 respondents said they would get the vaccine if they have a chance, while only 31 of them got it. 334 of them think population isn't aware enough about consequences of the virus and 173 consider education in elementary and high schools as the best option for decreasing incidence of HPV. 321 respondents think health personnel don't dedicate enough time to educate population about sexual transmitted diseases, including HPV. Statisticaly, there isn't found difference in knowledge about HPV considering sex, age and education of respondents. However difference in knowledge was found among people who knew about the vaccine and those who didn't. People who didn't knew about the vaccine until this research showed lowest knowledge about it. These results show importance of further education, primarily health workers, so HPV incidence would reduce in future