Effectiveness of an oral and pharyngeal cancer awareness program for health professionals.

Background: Of approximately 31,000 patients diagnosed as having oral/pharyngeal cancers (OPCs) each year in the United States, about half will die of the disease within five years, for reasons associated with patient behaviors as well as delays in diagnosis by health care professionals.

Methods: To address an apparent lack of OPC knowledge of health care professionals, a brief, non-discipline-specific, multi-component educational intervention was designed and presented to 352 health care professionals in community health centers and hospital training programs. OPC knowledge was assessed before and three months after the intervention.

Results: A 44% post-intervention response rate was obtained. There were significant (p < or = 0.05) increases in knowledge regarding oral sites at risk for OPC, etiologic factors, and early signs and symptoms. There were significant interactions (p < or = 0.01) between increases in knowledge and various health provider groups. A significant increase in perceived competency in OPC knowledge (p < or = 0.001) was reported, and significantly fewer participants felt the need for additional training.

Conclusion: A brief, multi-component educational intervention can increase health care professionals' knowledge regarding OPC.