ObjectiveTo find out the knowledge, attitude, practice, and barriers of cervical cancer screening in mid-western rural, Nepal.MethodsA hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted. Women aged 20 or more were interviewed using a structured questionnaire regarding the socio-demographic information, knowledge, attitude, practice, and barriers to the cervical cancer screening.ResultsTotal of 360 participants were recruited for this study, mean age was 30.13±10.4 years. More than 87% of participants had inadequate knowledge, but around 72% had a favorable attitude towards cervical cancer screening. There was a significant portion of women (86.4%) had never done any cervical cancer screening test. Despite being higher literacy rate of Brahmin and Chhetri ethnic group, they were less likely to attend the cervical cancer screening than Dalit and Janajati (p<0.001); and those who had a positive family history of cancer were more likely to attend the cervical cancer screening (p<0.001). Similarly, married women, who had adequate knowledge and or favorable attitude, were more likely to practice cervical cancer screening, though statistically not significant. Factors such as “No symptoms,” “Lack of awareness,” “Embarrassment,” etc. were the most common barriers for the cervical cancer screening.ConclusionThe adequate knowledge and practice of cervical cancer screening were meager among rural Nepalese women, but most of them had a favorable attitude. There is an imperative need for related awareness programs to promote the uptake of cervical cancer screening tests.

We aimed to assess the quality of life (QOL) of the patients with cervical cancer after initial treatment, the factors affecting QOL and their clinical relevance. A total of 256 patients with cervical cancer who visited Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from January 2017 to December 2017 were enrolled in this study. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core-30 item (EORTC QLQ-C30) and cervical cancer module (EORTC QLQ-CX24) was used to assess the QOL of patients. More than half of the patients with cervical cancer reported an excellent QOL. Symptoms mostly experienced were insomnia, constipation, financial difficulties, and menopausal symptoms. Global QOL and social functioning were statistically associated with education level, occupation, the area of living, family income and treatment modality. Similarly, role functioning showed significant association with the stage of cancer, treatment modality and time since diagnosis. The rural area of living and poor economic status of the patients with cervical cancer has a negative impact on overall quality of life. Younger and educated patients are more worried about sexuality. Patients treated with multiple therapies had more problems with their QOL scales than patients treated with surgery only.

BackgroundAnxiety and depression are usually under diagnosed among the patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which has a negative impact on patient quality of life through restriction of activities, loss of independence, and decreased social functioning. The purpose of this study was to describe the levels and characteristics of anxiety and depression in patients with COPD in Nepal as compared to the general population.MethodsA hospital-based observational comparative analytical study was conducted in the United Mission Hospital, Tansen and the Okhaldhunga Community Hospital, Okhaldhunga, Nepal from June 1st 2015 to April 15th 2016. A convenience sample of two groups of participants were recruited: patients with COPD (study group) and visitors to the facility (comparison group). Anxiety and depression were measured with the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventory Scale.ResultsA total of 198 individuals participated in the study; 93 with COPD and 105 from the general population. The mean age of the respondents was 58.24 ± 12.04 (40-82) years. The mean scores for anxiety and depression in COPD group were 23.76± 9.51 and 27.72± 9.37 respectively, while in comparison group, the mean score for anxiety was 8.01± 6.83 and depression was 11.60 ± 8.42. Both anxiety and depression scores were statistically significant between the groups with p value <0.001.ConclusionsAnxiety and depression were almost three times more common in COPD patients compared to the participants from the general population. Early assessment and multi-model treatment of anxiety and depression should be part of management in COPD.