A study of knowledge and awareness on polycystic ovarian syndrome among nursing students in a tertiary centre in South India

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge and awareness on PCOS among nursing students. Methodology: This was a questionnaire based cross sectional study conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in a Tertiary Care Centre among the nursing students. A pre-designed, pre-tested, semi-structured 15 items questionnaire containing 3 components: knowledge about risk factors (6), clinical symptoms & signs (4) and complications (5) of PCOS was used for online data collection and the results were analysed. Results: Around 88 students participated in the study. Majority of the students (89.8%) claimed polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) to be the most common endocrinological problem. Regarding the knowledge about the risk factors, 83 students were aware of obesity as the risk factor. In view of knowledge on long term complications, 62 students (70.45%) were aware about metabolic syndrome, 51 students (57.95%) about hypertension, 50 participants (56.81%) about being prone for diabetes mellitus, 60 students (68.18%) about risk of endometrial cancer. Conclusion: Even though the nursing students had knowledge regarding the risk factors associated with PCOS, their awareness about the complications of PCOS is significantly less. Effective educational intervention conducted especially for nurses can significantly increase their level of knowledge on PCOS