The place of the family pyhsicians at cancer early diagnosis and follow -up in primary care: A cross-sectional study according to determine the knowledege, attitude and behaviour

Introduction and Purpose Protection is the most cost effective way in the long term cancer control strategies. To protect from cancer, family physicians can raise awareness of the people and families, determine the risk factors and try to decrease them and screen for early diagnosis. It is seriously important to inform and bring family physicians the attitudes and skills for this subject. But first of all, the sufficiency and implementations of them must be determined. Studies in this issue have done only for some specific cancers. Whereas, family physicians must have integrated approach for this issue within the frame of their tasks for cancer early diagnosis and follow-up. The purpose of this study is to determine the variability that effect the knowledge, attitude and behaviors of family physicians in the terms of cancer early diagnosis, follow-up and advises for making cancer screening. Material and Methods We included 301 family physicians in this study who were working in the family health centers in Aydin between march 2016-april 2016. 250 family physicians working at 85 family health centers were reached. Face to face questionnaires were implanted to 232 of them who accepted to take place in the study. Delpi method is used to create the questionnaire form which was used to collect the in formations. The obtained data were analyzed by using the SPSS 18.0 packetprogramme. Findings Mean age of the participants was 49.9 +/- 5.3; 172 (74.1%) of them were male, while 204 (87.9%) of them were married, 193 (%83.2) of them were working more than 20 years, 19 (8.2%) of them had family physicians careers education, 142 (61.2%) of them were recent or old tobacco users, and perception of economic conditions were good in 116 (50%) of them; 143 (61.6%) of them described their own health status is well, 142 (61.2%) family physician thought that their own cancer risk was at mean levels. 62 Of family physicians, 60.3% (n=127) think that their knowledge in terms of the symptoms and signs about cancer early diagnosis were enough, 54.7 % (n=127) were feel themselves sufficient about cancer screening. However 87.1% (n=202) of participants were thinking that family physicians play an efficient role in symptomatic diagnosis and early diagnosis by the help of screening, the ratio of the participants that were thinking that the patients must be evaluated yearly for the risk of cancer was 59.1% (n=137). 47% (n=109) of the participants have at least one member of their family who diagnosed as cancer. The number of the participants who made cancer screening to his/her mother or father was 146 (n=62.9), the number of participants who made cancer screening to himself/herself was 147 (63.4%). One hundred and eighty eight (85.8%) of family physicians advise their 40 years old or older patients about breast cancer screening, 186 (86.9%) of family physicians advise their 30 years old or older patients about cervix cancer screening. 178 (80.2%) of family physicians advise their 50 years old or older patients about colorectal cancer. According to regression analysis, the only variable that affects the family physicians behavior in the terms of all the three cancer screenings was the attitude about yearly assessment of patients according to their age and sex by their family physicians. The other two variables that affect the family physicians‟ behavior of advice on cancer screening were female and screening made to their mother or father. Results Most of the participants of the study are thinking that family physicians must play effective roles on cancer symptomatic diagnosis and early diagnosis by follow-up. Additionally, family physicians are less appropriate that they must evaluate their patients about cancer risky early. It is seen that the knowledge and sufficiency of family physicians in terms of symptoms and signs for early diagnosis of cancers are limited. The knowledge levels of family physicians about the national cancer screening standards which are used in Turkey correlates with their comprehension of competency. Awareness of the family physicians about screening their patients for the three cancers which are in the screening program is high. For all three cancers, the only variable that found to be effective on the behaviors of physicians, was believes of family physicians on screening their patients according to their age and sex. On the other hand the female sex making screening to their mother and father are effective for breast cancer screening advice, and the thinking about family physicians‟ effective role in cancer early diagnosis and screening is also effective about cervix cancer.