Breast self-examination among community midwife and lady health visitor students in Pakistan

Abstract

Breast self-examination allows women to check their breasts for changes or abnormalities, such as lumps, bumps and other irregularities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate understanding of performing a breast self-examination among lady health visitor and community midwifery students in Pakistan. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2022–April 2023 with 50 students recruited through convenient sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Participants' understanding of breast self-examination was categorised as good (>70%), moderate (50–70%) or poor (<50%) based on their score. Only one participant had received any training on breast self-examination, and all participants reported that they would like training in future. Only 10.0% of participants had a moderate understanding of breast self-examination, while the remaining 90.0% had poor understanding. There is a significant lack of knowledge about breast self-examination among lady health visitors and midwifery students in Pakistan. There is a need for education and awareness campaigns on breast self-examination to improve understanding.