This study was conducted to evaluate knowledge of undergraduate pharmacy students about human papillomavirus infection and their attitude towards its prevention. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 270 undergraduate pharmacy students using a validated questionnaire to assess knowledge about human papillomavirus infection and cervical cancer and their attitudes towards human papillomavirus vaccines. Eighty-one percent of the respondents knew that human papillomavirus is a cause of cervical cancer, and 87.8 % knew that this infection is preventable. The gender of the respondents showed the strongest correlations with human papillomavirus knowledge. There were no significant correlations between the ethnic group of the respondents and their human papillomavirus-related knowledge. Higher perceptions of risk were associated with relationship status, and respondents who were in a relationship showed greater interest in vaccinating themselves; relationship status emerged as a unique predictor. The results indicated a moderately high level of knowledge and positive attitude towards human papillomavirus vaccination with few disagreements. The results of this study will help to develop and plan appropriate education campaigns for pharmacy students that aim to reduce human papillomavirus infection and, consequently, the incidence of and mortality caused by cervical cancer in Malaysia.
Early diagnosis of oral cancer results in less aggressive treatment and improves the quality of life and overall 5-year survival rate. Well-trained dental professionals can play a crucial role in the early detection of oral cancers. The present study aims to determine the effectiveness of the training program "OralDETECT", a spaced repetitive, test-enhanced learning tool with a corrective feedback mechanism for early detection of oral cancer. Thirty-two dentists and 259 dental students from three Malaysian dental schools were involved in this study. All participants were trained and calibrated to recognize oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) and oral cancer using "OralDETECT", which is comprised of a series of pre-test, lecture, post-tests and review sessions. The percentage of correct answers (scores) for each test given by the participants was calculated and analysed using a paired t test. It was found that the overall percentage of diagnostic accuracy for both dental professionals and student groups increased to above 80% from the pre-tests to the final post-tests. There was a significant improvement in overall scores between the pre-tests and all three post-tests for the dental professional groups and the student groups. The diagnostic accuracy for individual OPMD and lesions suspicious of oral cancer also increased to above 80% for both groups. The results of our study demonstrate that the "OralDETECT" is an efficient and effective competency tool which can be used to train dental professionals and students for the early detection of OPMD and oral cancer.
Most people with cancer have a combination of treatments, such as surgery with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. Providing good quality cancer-related information enables patients to be better prepared for treatment and improves their adherence. This study aimed to determine the level of information received and the perceived usefulness of the sources of information to cancer patients. A 4-month study was conducted at a day care oncology unit and oncology ward of a tertiary care centre in Malaysia using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Information Module (EORTC QLQ-INFO 25). In total, 103 patients successfully completed the questionnaire. Level of information received was moderate. Patients were well-informed about medical tests (mean ± SD = 74.2 ± 17.8) followed by the disease itself (mean ± SD = 68.0 ± 13.6). Patients received less information on both other services (mean ± SD = 47.6 ± 18.1) and different places of care (mean ± SD = 41.3 ± 22.3). Although the correlation between age and level of information received was poor (r = - 0.201; P = .042), younger patients (≤ 65 years old) were found to have higher level of information received than older patients (mean ± SD = 61.5 ± 11.2 versus 57.8 ± 6.6; P = .046). Doctors (mean ± SD = 88.1 ± 17.1), nurses (mean ± SD = 83.7 ± 20.3), and family members (mean ± SD = 81.1 ± 24.9) were the most useful sources of information by cancer patients. There is still a need for improvement in the provision of information by the healthcare team and prioritisation should depend on patients' individual characteristics and their needs of information. More attention is needed in delivering required information especially to older patients.
The aim of this study was to demonstrate the construct validity of a newly developed cancer screening perception scale as a measure of the perception of cancer screening in general among high-risk but healthy asymptomatic groups.The cancer screening perception scale (CSPS) was developed based on extensive literature reviews guided by The Health Belief Model. Fifty-five written items were initially pooled, reviewed by experts for face validity, pretested by 25 healthcare workers and translated into Malay using simple back translation. The scale was then distributed to 300 respondents from two health clinics for construct validation purposes. The obtained data were analyzed using the varimax rotation method for exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The data was submitted for further confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS software.Based on EFA, the results produced five constructs as predicted: perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and cues for action. Two items with low factor loading and unrelated to the recovered domains were removed. Perceived barriers and cues for action had three and two sub-domains respectively which were further confirmed to fit the measurement and structural models. CFA demonstrated the scale fitted GFI = 0.936, CFI = 0.935, RMSEA = 0.076, NORMEDCHISQ = 2.162. The scale discriminated between the domains. Cronbach's alpha for perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits, perceived barrier, and cues for action were 0.907, 0.877, 0.940, 0.864 and 0.938, respectively.The cancer screening perception scale with its promising psychometric properties is now available to measure risks to high-risk but healthy, asymptomatic groups aged 18 and above and can also be used for larger scale study purposes.
There are several treatment options for localized prostate cancer with very similar outcome but vary in terms of technique and side effect profiles and risks. Considering the potential difficulty in choosing the best treatment, a patient decision aid (PDA) is used to help patients in their decision-making process. However, the use and applicability of PDA in a country in Asia Pacific region like Malaysia is still unknown. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a PDA modified to the local context in improving patients' knowledge, decisional conflict, and preparation for decision making among men with localized prostate cancer. Sixty patients with localized prostate cancer were randomly assigned to control and intervention groups. A self-administered questionnaire, which evaluate the knowledge on prostate cancer (23 items), decisional conflict (10 items) and preparation for decision-making (10 items), was given to all participants at pre- and post-intervention. Data were analyzed using independent T test and paired T test. The intervention group showed significant improvement in knowledge (p = 0.02) and decisional conflict (p = 0.01) from baseline. However, when compared between the control and intervention groups, there were no significant differences at baseline and post-intervention on knowledge, decisional conflict and preparation for decision-making. A PDA on treatment options of localized prostate cancer modified to the local context in an Asia Pacific country improved patients' knowledge and decisional conflict but did not have significant impact on the preparation for decision-making. The study was also registered under the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR), ACTRN12614000668606 registered on 25/06/2014.
Breast cancer survivors on adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) have distinct information-seeking experience compared to those in the diagnosis and intensive treatment phase. This study aimed to understand the challenges in obtaining and seeking information among Malaysian breast cancer survivors. We conducted semi-structured, one-to-one interviews among patients using AET from two hospitals and a local cancer organization. Interviews were conducted until theme saturation was achieved (N = 25). Interviews were de-identified, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using thematic analysis. To ensure rigor, coding was conducted through regular discussions between two researchers and the findings were shared with several participants after analysis was completed. Three main themes were identified: limitations in the healthcare system, pitfalls of seeking information online, and limited information from local sources. The participants perceived that their information needs were not met by their healthcare providers and sought information on the Internet to complement their information needs. However, they were faced with risks of misinformation, information overload, and unethical promotion of health products. Those with limited English proficiency had difficulties in accessing quality information, and suggested that there should be more content created by local health advocates in local languages, with information that is tailored for local cultures. As the Internet has become an important medium of health education, healthcare providers and patients should be equipped with the skills to share and search for information online. Digital health literacy needs to be incorporated in patient education modules to create a more informed and empowered patient community.