Oropharyngeal Cancer and Human Papilloma Virus: Counselling First Line Health Professionals

Abstract

Introduction: In the last decade, the incidence of Human papilloma virus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal cancer has increased and as high as 70% of all oropharyngeal cancers are caused by HPV. First line health professionals might feel uncomfortable discussing topics related to sexual habits. The objectives of this study are to assess the level of knowledge about HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer amongst first line health professionals and to evaluate the impact of an educational intervention on communication with patients. Method: Basic levels of knowledge of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer and ease to deal with patient were evaluated for general practitioners (GP), head and neck specialists (HNS), and nurses. Each category of professional was divided into two groups: Participants who receive a single HPV training, and a control group. The training was a onehour presentation addressing the management of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer. Participants filled questionnaires about general demographic information, general knowledge of oropharyngeal HPV, the ease to deal with HPV patients and evaluation of the educational intervention. Results: The sample consisted of 122 participants consisting of first line health professionals. All groups presented a significant increase of their knowledge following the training session. Post-training nurses out performed control GPs. Nurses with less than 10 years of practice presented higher scores than more experienced nurses. For all categories, the training resulted in a significant increase of their perceived ease to discuss head and neck HPV with patients. Conclusion: Continuous education on HPV-oropharyngeal cancer is needed for health professionals and it improves immediate knowledge and ease of discussion.