Knowledge and attitudes of nursing professionals on the prevention of human papillomavirus infection as a cause of cervical cancer

Humani papiloma virus je najčešća spolno prenosiva infekcija u Hrvatskoj i svijetu te se smatra ključnim uzročnikom raka vrata maternice. Do danas otkriveno je oko 200 tipova HPV-a, a 50-ak njih inficira spolno-mokraćni sustav. HPV virus dijeli se na tipove niskog i visokog rizika. Tipovi niskog rizika najčešće uzrokuju benigne genitalne bradavice, dok tipovi visokog rizika imaju maligni potencijal. Smatra se da je virus HPV-a zaslužan za čak 5% karcinoma u svijetu, stoga se glavni fokus stavlja na zdravstveni odgoj i cijepljenje protiv HPV-a. Ranim otkrivanjem prekanceroznih lezija, smanjuje se mogućnost nastanka raka vrata maternice, a osnovnu metodu prevencije predstavlja PAPA test. U svrhu istraživanja znanja i stavova medicinskih sestara/tehničara o prevenciji HPV-a, konstruiran je upitnik putem Google online obrasca. Istraživanje je provedeno na ukupnom uzorku od 130 ispitanika krajem svibnja 2022. godine. Uzorak ispitanika činilo je 5% muškaraca i 95% žena. Bile su to osobe pretežno s manjim radnim stažem (0 - 5 g.) i s većim radnim stažem (više od 20 godina). S obzirom da medicinske sestre/tehničari imaju vrlo važnu ulogu u prevenciji i edukaciji populacije, cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati njihova znanja i stavove o HPV-u kao uzročniku raka vrata maternice. Nadalje, ispitati njihova mišljenja o cijepljenju, kao i o tome koliko su roditelji i mladež upoznati s HPV infekcijom i mogućnostima prevencije.Human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted infection in Croatia and the world. It is also considered to be the key cause of cervical cancer. To date, about 200 types of HPV have been detected, and about 50 of them infect sexual-urinary system. There are two types of HPV virus - 'low-risk' (IrHPV) and 'high-risk' (hrHPV). 'Low-risk' type most often causes benign genital warts, while 'high-risk' type can cause malignancies. The HPV virus is thought to account for as much as 5% of cancers worldwide, so the main focus is on health education and vaccination. The early detection of precancerous lesions reduces the possibility of cervical cancer, and the basic prevention method is a Pap smear test. The aim of this research is to examine the knowledge and attitudes of nurses about HPV prevention. We used a questionnaire created in Google forms. The study was done at the end of May. 130 people took part, 5% of men and 95% of women. These were people predominantly with lower service (0 - 5 years) and higher service (more than 20 years). Considering that nurses and medical technicians have a significant role in prevention and educating the population, the research aimed to examine their knowledge about and attitudes toward HPV as the cause of cervical cancer. Furthermore, we examined their opinions on vaccination and how familiar parents and young people are with HPV infection and its prevention