Objective To investigate the basic situation and screening capacity at county-level health facilities in Guangdong Province, so as to provide evidence for developing breast cancer screening program and optimizing breast cancer screening model.
Methods Cross-sectional survey was conducted to investigate breast cancer screening health facilities across 119 project counties in Guangdong Province. A total of 119 questionnaires were distributed to administraters of project counties, and 110 valid questionnaires were collected, with a response rate of 92.44%. The content of the survey included the basic situation, personnel capacity building and project management of breast cancer screening health facilities in Guangdong Province from Jan 1st to Dec 31st 2021.
Results County Maternal and Child Health Hospital served as the main implementing and primary screening unit for the project in Guangdong Province. The primary screening method was a combination of clinical examination and color ultrasound examination. Approximately 90% of county-level health facilities provided breast clinical examination, color ultrasonography, health education and consultation, medical opinions on screening results, and follow up and referral for positive cases. However, only 49.24% of them carried out breast biopsy and pathological examination. More than 90% of the county-level health facilities had breast cancer clinical and ultrasonic examination doctors, but only 22.72% of them had histopathology doctors. Around 44.23% of mammograms and 65.45% of pathological examinations at county-level health facilities need to be referred to higher level or third-party.
Conclusion County-level health facilities in Guangdong Province basically are capable of breast cancer screening, but there are shortcomings in mammography and pathological biopsy. Government and superior departments should pay great attention to proper provision of breast cancer screening services and build an effective referring system.
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