Educational intervention on breast self-examination in nursing students

Abstract

Introduction: the cases of breast cancer both worldwide and locally are increasing mainly in advanced stages and it is necessary to teach breast self-examination to all women, so that this practice is incorporated as a habit. It is important to perform breast self-examination periodically and correctly because it allows going to the doctor as soon as possible when any abnormality is detected, which makes it possible to perform less invasive treatments and increase survival rates.Objective: evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention on the knowledge related to breast self-examination in nursing students of the Hermanos Cordové Provincial Pediatric Hospital in Manzanillo. Method: an intervention study was carried out in a universe of 63 students of the first year of the basic nursing course of the Hermanos Cordové Provincial Pediatric Hospital of Manzanillo, in the period from April to August 2024, a sample of 40 female students was selected through a non-probabilistic sampling. Results: it was shown that knowledge before the intervention was mostly insufficient for 29 women 72.50%. After the intervention, the effectiveness was evidenced when comparing the initial knowledge with the final knowledge, 32 women prevailed with sufficient knowledge 80.00%. Conclusions: the educational intervention proved to be effective since it increased the knowledge acquired about breast self-examination.