Social Representation of Cancer among Nurses in Burkina Faso and Influence on Early Diagnosis of Cancer

: Objective : We conducted this study with the aim of determining the association between the social representation of cancer of nurses in Ouagadougou and the decision they make when faced with a sign suggestive of cancer. Methods : We conducted a survey over a period from December 27, 2022 to March 26, 2023 in the city of Ouagadougou. A total of 341 nurses working in the Health and Social Promotion Centers participated in the survey by completing a questionnaire. They were asked to produce a series of five words that came to mind spontaneously from the word “cancer” inducer then to rank these words in descending order of importance according to their judgment. The subjects surveyed were finally asked about their practices in front of signs suggestive of cancer. These practices have been categorized into “I refer” and “I do not refer” to a higher level of care. We compared these two groups through a prototypical analysis using the Iramuteq software. Results : In group 1, the central core was composed of 8 words which are: Pain, Incurable, Suffering, Breast, Nodule, Chemotherapy, Expensive, Tumor. The second periphery was composed of: Death, Fear, Metastasis, Chronic, Expenditure, Compassion, Serious. In group 2, the core was composed of 15 words which are Death, Pain, Tumor, Suffering, Expensive, Metastasis, Nodule. The first periphery was composed of the following words: Fear, Incurable, Chemotherapy, Chronic. The maximum tree of representation indicates that the words cited in both groups are organized around the words “death”, “pain”, “incurable” and “fear”. Conclusion : This difference in perception of the disease has a probable influence on their readiness to refer patients to health centers better equipped for patient management. It seems necessary to reflect on ways to train nurses, to inform them about cancer and on the benefits of adequate and early management.