Breast Self-Examination - Cambodia
Background
Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting Cambodian women and the third most common cancer overall. In 2022, there were 2,116 new cases (19.9%) and 917 deaths reported, the fourth highest mortality of all cancers.
Most women do not present to health professionals until they have advanced disease and treatment options are limited. Breast self-examination is a globally recognised tool that can help with the early detection of breast cancer.
Purpose
Opportunistic brief interventions are an important strength-based approach to provide health education to women and girls who may ordinarily not have regular access to health services. This project aimed to apply globally recognised best practice health education principles and tools to a localised context that involves rural and remote communities, and vulnerable population groups such as culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.
The pilot was undertaken in September 2024 during the annual week-long primary care clinic provided by Australia – Source Support Connect (AUS-SSC) volunteers to rural and remote communities throughout Battambang province.
Methodology
The resource utilised World Health Organisation (WHO) best practice breast self-examination principles and information. Collaboration was undertaken with engagement of a local in-country translator and user acceptance testing provided by in-country health clinicians and community members to ensure appropriate target literacy level an cultural context.
Education was provided to female participants face-to-face in-country as ‘train-the-trainer’ style sessions by a health promotion practitioner. Participants were given both hard and soft copies of the resource to provide opportunistic brief interventions to local women and girls.
Results
A total of 33 female participants from three key organisations were trained in the breast self-examination resource. Participants included 16 local university students who were participating as interpreters and two nurses at the Pet Yie Chi Shelter for the Sick (Battambang), five nurses/midwives at Roka Referral Hospital (Roka), and 10 local non-health workers/students at Heart Print, a charity providing social programs to support local disadvantaged families (Siem Reap).