Anticipated time to seek medical advice for possible ovarian cancer symptoms and perceived barriers to early presentation among Palestinian women: a national cross-sectional study
Abstract Background Several factors contribute to delayed presentation with ovarian cancer (OC) symptoms including poor symptom awareness and barriers to seeking help. This study explored the anticipated time to seek medical advice for possible OC symptoms and its association with OC symptom awarene...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-10-01
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| Series: | BMC Cancer |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-023-11484-z |
| _version_ | 1827633978102775808 |
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| author | Mohamedraed Elshami Sondos Al-Madhoun Mohammed Alser Ibrahim Al-Slaibi Areej Yaseen Aya Tuffaha Hadeel Jabr Sara Ubaiat Salma Khader Reem Khraishi Inas Jaber Zeina Abu Arafeh Aya Alqattaa Asmaa Abd El Hadi Ola Barhoush Maysun Hijazy Tamara Eleyan Amany Alser Amal Abu Hziema Amany Shatat Falasteen Almakhtoob Balqees Mohamad Walaa Farhat Yasmeen Abuamra Hanaa Mousa Reem Adawi Alaa Musallam Shurouq I. Albarqi Nasser Abu-El-Noor Bettina Bottcher |
| author_facet | Mohamedraed Elshami Sondos Al-Madhoun Mohammed Alser Ibrahim Al-Slaibi Areej Yaseen Aya Tuffaha Hadeel Jabr Sara Ubaiat Salma Khader Reem Khraishi Inas Jaber Zeina Abu Arafeh Aya Alqattaa Asmaa Abd El Hadi Ola Barhoush Maysun Hijazy Tamara Eleyan Amany Alser Amal Abu Hziema Amany Shatat Falasteen Almakhtoob Balqees Mohamad Walaa Farhat Yasmeen Abuamra Hanaa Mousa Reem Adawi Alaa Musallam Shurouq I. Albarqi Nasser Abu-El-Noor Bettina Bottcher |
| author_sort | Mohamedraed Elshami |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Several factors contribute to delayed presentation with ovarian cancer (OC) symptoms including poor symptom awareness and barriers to seeking help. This study explored the anticipated time to seek medical advice for possible OC symptoms and its association with OC symptom awareness. In addition, it examined perceived barriers that may delay help-seeking among Palestinian women. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among adult women (≥ 18 years) recruited from hospitals, primary healthcare centers, and public spaces in 11 Palestinian governorates. A modified version of the OC awareness measure was used to collect data in face-to-face interviews. The questionnaire comprised three sections: sociodemographic details, awareness of 11 OC symptoms and time to seek medical advice, and barriers to early presentation. Results Of 6095 participants approached, 5618 completed the OCAM (response rate = 92.1%). The proportion of participants who would immediately seek medical advice for a possible OC symptom varied based on the symptom’s nature. For OC symptoms with pain, the proportion that reported immediate seeking of medical advice ranged from 7.9% for ‘persistent low back pain’ to 13.6% for ‘persistent pain in the pelvis’. For non-specific potential OC symptoms, the proportion that reported immediate seeking of medical advice ranged from 2.3% for ‘feeling full persistently’ to 15.8% for ‘increased abdominal size on most days’. Good OC symptom awareness was associated with higher likelihood of seeking medical advice within a week from recognizing 10 out of 11 OC symptoms. Emotional barriers were the most common barriers with ‘feeling scared’ as the most reported barrier (n = 1512, 52.4%). Displaying good OC symptom awareness was associated with a lower likelihood of reporting ≥ 4 emotional barriers (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.38–0.98). Conclusion Participants with good OC symptom awareness were more likely to seek medical advice earlier and to display fewer emotional barriers. Establishing educational interventions to raise OC awareness may help in promoting earlier help-seeking and, thus, facilitate earlier diagnosis and improved prognosis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:06:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8779ce768fde4557ac686a9779c11ed7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2407 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:06:50Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Cancer |
| spelling | doaj.art-8779ce768fde4557ac686a9779c11ed72023-11-26T13:35:52ZengBMCBMC Cancer1471-24072023-10-0123111110.1186/s12885-023-11484-zAnticipated time to seek medical advice for possible ovarian cancer symptoms and perceived barriers to early presentation among Palestinian women: a national cross-sectional studyMohamedraed Elshami0Sondos Al-Madhoun1Mohammed Alser2Ibrahim Al-Slaibi3Areej Yaseen4Aya Tuffaha5Hadeel Jabr6Sara Ubaiat7Salma Khader8Reem Khraishi9Inas Jaber10Zeina Abu Arafeh11Aya Alqattaa12Asmaa Abd El Hadi13Ola Barhoush14Maysun Hijazy15Tamara Eleyan16Amany Alser17Amal Abu Hziema18Amany Shatat19Falasteen Almakhtoob20Balqees Mohamad21Walaa Farhat22Yasmeen Abuamra23Hanaa Mousa24Reem Adawi25Alaa Musallam26Shurouq I. Albarqi27Nasser Abu-El-Noor28Bettina Bottcher29Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical CenterAl-Shifa HospitalUnited Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)Almakassed HospitalFaculty of Medicine, Al-Quds UniversityAl-Watani HospitalMinistry of HealthFaculty of Medicine, Al-Quds UniversityUnited Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)Faculty of Medicine, An-Najah National UniversityFaculty of Medicine, Al-Quds UniversityFaculty of Medicine, Al-Quds UniversityFaculty of Medicine, Islamic University of GazaFaculty of Medicine, Islamic University of GazaUnited Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)Faculty of Medicine, Islamic University of GazaUnited Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)Faculty of Medicine, Islamic University of GazaFaculty of Medicine, Islamic University of GazaFaculty of Medicine, Islamic University of GazaFaculty of Medicine, Palestine Polytechnic UniversityDoctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres)Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds UniversityFaculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University of GazaFaculty of Medicine, Islamic University of GazaFaculty of Medicine, Al-Quds UniversityAl-Aqsa HospitalFaculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University of GazaFaculty of Nursing, Islamic University of GazaFaculty of Medicine, Islamic University of GazaAbstract Background Several factors contribute to delayed presentation with ovarian cancer (OC) symptoms including poor symptom awareness and barriers to seeking help. This study explored the anticipated time to seek medical advice for possible OC symptoms and its association with OC symptom awareness. In addition, it examined perceived barriers that may delay help-seeking among Palestinian women. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among adult women (≥ 18 years) recruited from hospitals, primary healthcare centers, and public spaces in 11 Palestinian governorates. A modified version of the OC awareness measure was used to collect data in face-to-face interviews. The questionnaire comprised three sections: sociodemographic details, awareness of 11 OC symptoms and time to seek medical advice, and barriers to early presentation. Results Of 6095 participants approached, 5618 completed the OCAM (response rate = 92.1%). The proportion of participants who would immediately seek medical advice for a possible OC symptom varied based on the symptom’s nature. For OC symptoms with pain, the proportion that reported immediate seeking of medical advice ranged from 7.9% for ‘persistent low back pain’ to 13.6% for ‘persistent pain in the pelvis’. For non-specific potential OC symptoms, the proportion that reported immediate seeking of medical advice ranged from 2.3% for ‘feeling full persistently’ to 15.8% for ‘increased abdominal size on most days’. Good OC symptom awareness was associated with higher likelihood of seeking medical advice within a week from recognizing 10 out of 11 OC symptoms. Emotional barriers were the most common barriers with ‘feeling scared’ as the most reported barrier (n = 1512, 52.4%). Displaying good OC symptom awareness was associated with a lower likelihood of reporting ≥ 4 emotional barriers (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.38–0.98). Conclusion Participants with good OC symptom awareness were more likely to seek medical advice earlier and to display fewer emotional barriers. Establishing educational interventions to raise OC awareness may help in promoting earlier help-seeking and, thus, facilitate earlier diagnosis and improved prognosis.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-023-11484-zOvarian cancerSymptom awarenessEarly presentationBarriersSeeking medical advicePalestine |
| spellingShingle | Mohamedraed Elshami Sondos Al-Madhoun Mohammed Alser Ibrahim Al-Slaibi Areej Yaseen Aya Tuffaha Hadeel Jabr Sara Ubaiat Salma Khader Reem Khraishi Inas Jaber Zeina Abu Arafeh Aya Alqattaa Asmaa Abd El Hadi Ola Barhoush Maysun Hijazy Tamara Eleyan Amany Alser Amal Abu Hziema Amany Shatat Falasteen Almakhtoob Balqees Mohamad Walaa Farhat Yasmeen Abuamra Hanaa Mousa Reem Adawi Alaa Musallam Shurouq I. Albarqi Nasser Abu-El-Noor Bettina Bottcher Anticipated time to seek medical advice for possible ovarian cancer symptoms and perceived barriers to early presentation among Palestinian women: a national cross-sectional study BMC Cancer Ovarian cancer Symptom awareness Early presentation Barriers Seeking medical advice Palestine |
| title | Anticipated time to seek medical advice for possible ovarian cancer symptoms and perceived barriers to early presentation among Palestinian women: a national cross-sectional study |
| title_full | Anticipated time to seek medical advice for possible ovarian cancer symptoms and perceived barriers to early presentation among Palestinian women: a national cross-sectional study |
| title_fullStr | Anticipated time to seek medical advice for possible ovarian cancer symptoms and perceived barriers to early presentation among Palestinian women: a national cross-sectional study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Anticipated time to seek medical advice for possible ovarian cancer symptoms and perceived barriers to early presentation among Palestinian women: a national cross-sectional study |
| title_short | Anticipated time to seek medical advice for possible ovarian cancer symptoms and perceived barriers to early presentation among Palestinian women: a national cross-sectional study |
| title_sort | anticipated time to seek medical advice for possible ovarian cancer symptoms and perceived barriers to early presentation among palestinian women a national cross sectional study |
| topic | Ovarian cancer Symptom awareness Early presentation Barriers Seeking medical advice Palestine |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-023-11484-z |
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