Opinion and practices about self-vulva examination of midwife and nurses: A qualitative case study

Aim: This study was conducted to determine the practices and opinions of midwives and nurses on vulvar self-examination. Materials and Method: The study was carried out as an embedded multiple case study designed using the case study format which is a qualitative research design. This study was conducted between May 2020 and May 2021 at two centres in Aydın; one, a Family Health Center that performs Human Papilloma Virus screening at public hospitals in Aydın and the other, a Cancer Early Diagnosis, Screening and Education Centre unit. Data were collected using the Introductory Information Form and a Semi-Structured Interview Form developed by the researcher from 12 midwives and nurses who worked in Human Papilloma Virus screening unit and agreed to participate in the study group. The analysis of the data obtained was performed using the inductive content analysis technique. Firstly, answers to the interview questions were written word by word in a Microsoft Word document. Open-ended questions and the data from the face-to-face interviews conducted using semi-structured question were analyzed using content analysis. By reading the answers given by the midwives and nurses to the questions one by one, codes were created. The initial codes with common aspects were combined into a parent themes and classified as sub-themes and themes. The obtained theme diversity and density were then interpreted and reported with examples. Results: The average age of the midwives and nurses who participated in the study was 37.75±10.97. 66.6% of them were married, 58.3% were university graduates, and the average year of seniority was 16.33±10.86. Three people worked at the Cancer Early Diagnosis, Screening and Education Center, while eight people worked at the Family Health Center. Of the midwives and nurses who participated in the study, 25% had regular gynecological examination performed, 33.4% performed vulvar self-examination, 25% reported having received training on vulvar self-examination, and 8.33% educated the women who visited their institutions. Conclusion: In conclusion, a majority of the midwives and nurses had not heard of vulvar self-examination before and their practices regarding this examination were insufficient. For this reason, it is recommended that in-service training programmes be organised to raise awareness among midwives and nurses about the importance of vulvar self-examination and early diagnosis of vulvar cancer, and that midwives and nurses be supported to actively fulfill their role as educators as expected of the profession.