2023, Volume 16, Issue 12, pp 1732 – 1739

Exploring female medical students’ knowledge, attitudes, practices, and perceptions related to breast cancer screening: a scoping review

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Authors and Affiliations

Corresponding Author: Mirela Tomic, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, E-mail: mirela.tomic@publichealth.ro

Abstract

Early detection measures for breast cancer, such as breast self-exams, clinical breast exams, and mammography, have considerable benefits in effectively reducing breast cancer-related mortality. As the incidence of breast cancer is steadily increasing, it is crucial to raise awareness on early detection. This scoping review assessed the current knowledge, attitudes, practices, and perceptions of breast cancer screening among female medical students. We used the six phases of Arksey and O’Malley’s framework from the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) template. Our analysis included 43 articles from Google Scholar and PubMed search engines, focusing on female medical students. Our results showed that most female medical students had a satisfactory level of knowledge about the most common signs, symptoms, and early detection methods of breast cancer. Generally, their attitude and perceptions were positive regarding breast cancer-related preventive measures. However, the level of practice was reduced. Further efforts are necessary to promote and improve the practice of breast self-examination, clinical breast exams, and mammography among female medical students. Potential interventions could include modifications to the medical curriculum and social media campaigns to enhance engagement and adoption of these practices.

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About this article

PMC ID: 10994607
PubMed ID: 
DOI: 10.25122/jml-2023-0412

Article Publishing Date (print): 12 2023
Available Online: 

Journal information

ISSN Printing: 1844-122X
ISSN Online: 1844-3117
Journal Title: Journal of Medicine and Life

Copyright License: Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.


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