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Medical students’ attitudes towards the teaching of cervical and ovarian cancer screening protocols in Ireland: a qualitative study

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Abstract

Background

Screening programmes decrease the incidence of colorectal, breast and cervical cancer. As such, it is imperative that medical health professionals are educated on the screening programmes available and are aware of the research basis justifying them.

Aims

To establish the attitudes of final-year medical students to a gynaecological cancer screening teaching session, provided as part of their core Obstetrics and Gynaecology module.

Methods

A 3-h workshop, aimed to critically appraise research papers, reviewed cervical and ovarian cancer screening methods. The workshop was facilitated by a Consultant in Gynae-oncology Surgery. Anonymous evaluation was requested from two hundred nine students attending during the 2018/2019 academic year. Qualitative research with thematic analysis of content was performed.

Results

One hundred fifty-six students gave evaluation on the workshop itself (74.6%). Three main themes were identified—support for the importance of teaching screening methods, appreciation of the importance of understanding cervical screening and a wish for further teaching in Critical Appraisal. Students identified that there was a need to understand screening, that it was “..important for us to consider the value of screening programmes”. The teaching on Cervical screening was “..helpful, especially with cervical screening”.

Conclusions

Medical students expressed a wish to understand the research basis of a common clinical screening programme (for cervical cancer) as well as the research basis for not providing screening to low risk populations (for ovarian cancer). Further research in this area may include exploring how this is taught in other medical schools.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Paul McHugh

  2. UCD Perinatal Research Centre, National Maternity Hospital, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Donal Brennan & Mary F. Higgins

  3. Gynae-Oncology Surgery, Mater Misercordiae Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

    Donal Brennan

Authors
  1. Paul McHugh
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  2. Donal Brennan
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  3. Mary F. Higgins
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Contributions

Paul McHugh made substantial contributions to the interpretation of data for the work, drafted the work, gave the final approval of the version to be published and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. Donal Brennan made substantial contributions to the interpretation of data for the work, revised the work, gave the final approval of the version to be published and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. Mary Higgins made substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work, and to the acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data for the work; drafted the work and revised it critically for important intellectual content; gave the final approval of the version to be published; and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mary F. Higgins.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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McHugh, P., Brennan, D. & Higgins, M.F. Medical students’ attitudes towards the teaching of cervical and ovarian cancer screening protocols in Ireland: a qualitative study. Ir J Med Sci 191, 469–473 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-021-02580-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-021-02580-9

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