Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice on Cervical Cancer Screening Among Female Nurses Working in Three Referral Hospitals of Bhutan: A Cross‐Sectional Study

Introduction Health professionals’ knowledge of, positive attitudes toward, and practices related to cervical cancer screening are crucial for achieving and sustaining the 90–70–90 triple intervention strategy for eliminating cervical cancer in Bhutan. The objective of this study was to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices and factors associated with knowledge and practices related to cervical cancer screening among female nurses working in three referral hospitals in Bhutan (namely, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital [JDWNRH]), Eastern Regional Referral Hospital [ERRH], and Central Regional Referral Hospital [CRRH]). Method This was a cross‐sectional study conducted at three referral hospitals in Bhutan between August 2023 and May 2023. Female nurses working in these three hospitals who consented to participate in the study were included. The data were collected using a validated and piloted self‐administered questionnaire suitable for our context, and the results were extracted into a structured proforma. Results Two hundred forty‐seven (49%) female nurses from three referral hospitals in Bhutan participated in this study (150/336 from JDWNRH, 50/102 from CRRH, and 47/67 from ERRH). For the knowledge score, 54.3% ( n = 134) had average knowledge, 43% ( n = 107) had good knowledge, and 2.4% ( n = 6) had poor knowledge. For the attitude score, 57.9% ( n = 143) had good scores and 42.1% ( n = 104) had poor scores. For the practice score, 73.3% of the participants had good practices and 26.7% had poor practices. Nurses working in surgical and medical wards had better knowledge as compared to those working in other words. Nurses with certificate holders, sexually active, and unmarried were more likely to undergo cervical cancer screening. Conclusion From this study, we conclude that our nurses have considerable lack of knowledge on the introduction of new screening methods in Bhutan despite having acceptable knowledge on symptoms and signs of cervical cancer. However, their attitude and practice toward cervical cancer screening is acceptable. Hence, there is a need to conduct cancer education programs to create awareness about the recently adopted population‐based cervical cancer screening method of Bhutan.