Cancer screening and prevention education in standardized training residents: A cross-sectional survey in single center

BACKGROUND: Standardized residency training is an essential aspect of enhancing the ability of cancer prevention and screening of residents. The current study was performed to investigate tumor prevention, screening literacy and the training demands of standardized training residents and explore related influencing factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 320 residents of The First Hospital of Lanzhou University. An online, self-designed questionnaire was employed to investigate tumor prevention and screening, training status, and the requirements of residents. Data were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test. RESULTS: The mean age of the 320 participants was 26.04 ± 1.85 years;133, 83, and 104 were in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd year of standardized training, respectively. Among the common carcinogenic factors, smoking, infectious agents, and drinking were more correlated with tumors by 72.19, 66.57, and 64.38% of the physicians, respectively. Excess body weight, an insufficient intake of fruits and dietary fiber, and a lack of exercise were correlated with tumors by only 26.56, 25, and 23.44% of the physicians, respectively. The proportion of physicians providing an accurate answer to the tumor screening question ranged from 23.13 to 93.13%. The lowest accuracy was 23.13% for the initial age of regular breast cancer screening in general-risk women. The maximum rate of the primary liver cancer screening methods was 93.13%. Postgraduates and residents of oncology practitioners considered excess body weight and the insufficient intake of fruits and dietary fiber more relevant to cancer (P < 0.05). Male residents viewed more associations between tumors and a lack of exercise and air pollution (P < 0.05). Overall, 71.26% of participants felt that their tumor prevention and screening knowledge was poor and 95.31% thought they needed standardized tumor prevention and screening training. CONCLUSION: Tumor prevention and screening literacy of standardized training residents should be further improved. There is a huge knowledge demand for tumor prevention and screening. Therefore, it is vital to build a training program in line with the requirements of cancer prevention and control efforts that focus on improving literacy among residents.