Nursing and midwifery students’ knowledge about cervical cancer in Antananarivo, Madagascar

Objective: Cervical cancer is the first leading cause of cancer-related death among woman in Madagascar. Nurses and midwives have an important role in promoting prevention. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge of cervical cancer screening among final year undergraduate nurse and midwife students. Methods: We conducted a survey during the academic year 2017-2018 at all training institutes in nursing and midwifery across the city of Antananarivo. Result: Thirteen out of 15 existing institutes in Antananarivo participated in the survey. Questionnaires were completed by 369 students. All reported that they had heard of cervical cancer. Less than a third (28.8%) knew any risk factors of cervical cancer. Only 8% found the two screening techniques used in Madagascar. Most respondents (96.47%) said that screening for cervical cancer was important but 97.13% of women had never taken a cervical screening. Conclusion: Knowledge of cervical screening was low in midwife and nurse students in Antananarivo.