The Role of Communication with the Field during the Pandemic Period: A District Intervention Example in Preventive Health Services

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of administrative meetings with family health center staff on cancer and autism screenings in a district of Istanbul. Material and Method: The study was designed as an intervention research conducted in a district of Istanbul. The population of the study consisted of employees working in family health centers (24 family health centers) in Sultanbeyli district. The meetings were held at the end of February 2022 at the District Health Directorate building. During the meetings, the aspects that need to be improved, especially regarding cancer and autism screenings, were conveyed. Following these meetings for field staff, the changes in preventive health services (number of screenings) at the district level were analyzed. All data were analyzed retrospectively from district health directorate records. Results: For cervical cancer screening, the total number of screenings in Sultanbeyli district in January-February and March-April were 144 and 235, respectively. For colon cancer, the total number of screenings in January-February and March-April were 54 and 277, respectively. The total number of autism screenings in January-February and March-April were 565 and 1388, respectively. Cervical cancer screenings, colon cancer screenings and autism screenings showed statistically significant increases after the meetings (p=0.002, p