Perceptions toward Performance Status Scale in the Management of Head‑and‑Neck Cancer Patients among Health‑Care Providers in Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The role of performance status scales (PSSs) are well documented globally in the management of cancer patients in the
developed countries but not in low‑income countries, mainly due to the lack of awareness. The aim of the present study is to assess
the level of awareness, knowledge, and practice of PSSs among medical physicians managing head‑and‑neck tumors in Edo state,
Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross‑sectional study that recruited all physicians that manage head and neck in Edo
state between April 2019 and December 2019. Data were obtained with a self‑administered questionnaire, which was given to all who
participants that gave written informed consent. The statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 21 (IBM, Chicago, IL, USA).

Results: One hundred and six of the 110 randomly distributed questionnaires were retrieved, given a response rate of 96.4%. The male‑to‑female ratio was 2.4:1.0. The mean age was 33.3 ± 5.30 years, ranging from 25 to 46 years. Most of the respondents were within the age range of 31–40 years. Of the total 106 respondents, less than half (46.2%) had heard of PSS. More than two‑thirds (73.6%) of the respondents that are aware of PSS had poor general knowledge. More than half (53.8%) of the respondents answered that they have never used PSS in the course of managing head‑and‑neck cancer (HNC) patients. The age, gender, years of practice, type of specialty, and location of practice were not related to the knowledge of PSS by the respondents (P > 0.05), but only the awareness of PSS was related to knowledge of PSS (P = 0.02).

Conclusion: Most medical practitioners that manage HNC patients lack awareness and knowledge of PSSs, which reflected in poor utilization in the management of patients in routine practice.