Journal of Clinical & Experimental Dermatology Research
Open Access

Attitude of female nurses in cross river state general hospitals towards breast surgeries.

Joint Meet on 26^th International Conference on Dermatology and Skincare & 4^th World Congress on Environmental Toxicology and Health Safety & 8^th International Conference and Expo on Novel Physiotherapies, Physical Reh

April 16, 2021 | Webinar

Otei O O, Ozinko M, Ekpo R, Egiehiokhin

Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Jour Clin Experi Derma Res

Abstract :

AIM: To elucidate the reasons that people in Cross River State, Nigeria refuse completely or fail to present early for breast surgeries using nurses in general hospitals as a medically enlightened cohort group. KEY WORDS: Breast surgeries, awareness, acceptability. ABSTRACT: This is a prospective study designed to find out the opinion of female nurses in Cross River State General hospital on breast surgeries. A questionnaire was administered to the nurses in five general hospitals and their responses were analyzed. The questionnaire featured five breast surgeries namely breast augmentation, reduction, reconstruction, mastopexy and mastectomy. The level of awareness that the surgeries can be carried out in Nigeria was highest in mastectomy at 95% and lowest in mastopexy at 48%. Globally the most common reason for refusal of breast surgeries was the fear of complications. The commonest reason for acceptance of some of the surgeries was the fear of disease spread in cases of malignant disease. These findings are at variance with the commonly assumed fact that our people reject breast surgeries because of religious reasons. For a period of over ten years the plastic surgery unit of our hospital has treated only very grotesque breast lesions which could not be concealed by the patients (some of the pictures will appear in this paper). If the level of breast surgery awareness and acceptability is so low among medically enlightened general hospital nurses, then the general public will have a very low level of awareness and acceptability of breast surgeries. Education of the people through the radio, television and lectures at outpatient clinics is essential to make attitude to breast surgeries attractive and acceptable.