ABSTRACT
Background and Aim
Breast cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, and early detection through screening significantly improves survival outcomes. Given their accessibility, community pharmacists are well-positioned to promote breast cancer screening. However, gaps in knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions (KAP) have limited their effectiveness in this role. Educational interventions may help address these gaps and empower pharmacists to contribute more actively to cancer prevention. This study aimed to evaluate the KAP of community pharmacists in Klang Valley regarding breast cancer screening and to assess the impact of an online educational intervention designed to improve these outcomes.
Methods
Fully registered community pharmacists in Klang Valley were recruited using convenience and snowball sampling methods. A 4-day online educational intervention was conducted in small groups via a social media platform. Post-intervention KAP assessments were carried out within 1 month. Pre- and post-intervention data were compared using the McNemar test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Relationships between dependent variables were examined using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, while binary logistic regression was applied to identify predictors of improved KAP. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 29.0.
Results
A total of 303 respondents were recruited. The median knowledge score increased from 13 (IQR: 11–14) to 16 (IQR: 15–17) out of a maximum of 18 points (p < 0.001). The median attitude score remained at 20, though the IQR widened slightly from 20–24 to 20–25 out of a maximum of 25 points (p = 0.015). The median perception score rose from 22 (IQR: 20–25) to 28 (IQR: 25.5–29) out of a maximum of 35 points (p < 0.001).
Conclusion
The online educational intervention significantly enhanced community pharmacists’ KAP regarding breast cancer screening. Incorporating pharmacists into national cancer screening frameworks could further increase participation rates and strengthen public health outcomes.