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Background: Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers among women worldwide. The incidence rate in Indian women between 25 to 44 years is about 3.5%, and age standardised incidence rate is 22 per 1,00,000 women. In rural areas, it is a major health problem, where the disease is diagnosed usually at a late stage. Cervical cancer has a long window for diagnosis, during which the precancerous lesions can be diagnosed by various screening methods. Pap smear is one such method. It is cost effective and can be done easily in an outpatient set-up. For satisfactory implementation of the screening programme for early diagnosis of pre-cancerous lesions, the services of the nursing staff can be utilised to educate and motivate all eligible women of the community to take Pap smear. The present study was conducted to assess the knowledge about cervical cancer and Pap smear practice among the nursing staff of the rural hospital in Maharashtra, India. Materials and Method: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study performed during 1st December, 2020 and 28th February, 2021. A total of 320 staff nurses participated in the study. A structured questionnaire was given to each of them after obtaining verbal consent. The answered questionnaires were collected for further analysis. Results: Majority of the participants were between 21 and 35 years of age. 91.56% of the participants were married, 97.19% (N=311) were aware about cervical cancer, while 88.75% (N=284) were aware about Pap smear. Among the 311 respondents, 35.05% knew that Human papillomavirus is a causative agent of cervical cancer, and 33.75% are aware about HPV vaccination. Even though 47.19% of the 284 participants were trained to take Pap smear, 48.51% of those trained had not taken any Pap smear. Among the married group, 37.06% (N= 293) had undergone Pap smear screening themselves. Conclusion: Though the knowledge about cervical cancer and Pap smear is adequate among the participants, the practice is not satisfactory. The nursing staff need to be encouraged, educated and trained to practice the screening method for themselves and for other women of the community so that the morbidity and mortality from cervical cancer is controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Family planning is one of the most crucial interventions to address maternal morbidity and mortality. It also refers to the use of contraceptives for spacing child birth and achieving the desired family size, which is in turn beneficial for the family and society, from a financial and practical perspective. Usage of contraceptives is also pivotal in maintaining an optimal balance of the national and global population. Objective: This study aims to identify the knowledge, acceptability and practice among antenatal patients attending the antenatal care unit at the Rural Hospital of Pravara. Materials and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study has been conducted using a structured questionnaire which was given to the respondents attending the antenatal clinic. Results: The respondents belong to the age group of 18 and 32 years. A high level of awareness was noted among the respondents, but the usage was low. The main reason for not using contraceptives was willingness to conceive (as majority of them had not yet reached their desired family size). Other factors associated with non-usage were apprehensions like fear of side-effects and harmful effects on health (which indicate that intense and in-depth counselling is required to allay the apprehensions). Husband's consent also plays an important role in family planning. Conclusion: Incorporation of family planning and contraception into a greater proportion of households will require trained healthcare professionals to provide detailed counselling to patients. There is also a strong need for media to promote the usage of contraceptives. Additionally, education of women is integral to facilitate the society reaching a more conscientious and enlightened state without any gender bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]