[HPV and cervical cancer: knowledge and practices of physicians in Fez].

INTRODUCTION

The main objective of this paper is to assess the knowledge and practices of primary care physicians related to cervical cancer and HPV infection.

METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2010 among general practitioners in all health centers in the Wilaya of Fez, Morocco. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data.

RESULTS

The response rate was 77.7%. Only 25.6% of the physicians reported that they knew how to perform pap smears, while just 7.9% (all women) actually perform Pap smears. The main reasons for not performing Pap smears were lack of training (69.0%) and lack of resources (24.0%). 89.0% of the participants stated that a family history of cervical cancer is a risk factor for cervical cancer, while all the physicians reported that sexually transmitted diseases and having multiple sexual partners are risk factors. 94.9% stated that early age at first sexual intercourse is a risk factor, while 97.4% stated that genital warts are a risk factor. 76.4% stated that they were aware of the existence of the HPV vaccine.

CONCLUSION

The results show that physicians have limited knowledge of HPV and cervical cancer and that their participation in cervical cancer screening and diagnosis is also relatively low. We conclude that there is a need for training and increased awareness.