Published Paper Details:

Breast cancer is a global health issue and a leading cause of death among women internationally. In India, it accounts for the second most common cancer in women. Breast self-examination (BSE) is a technique which allows an individual to examine breast tissue for any physical changes by self. It is often used as an early detection method for breast cancer.One should perform a BSE at least once every month beginning at age 18. The present study aimed to assess the knowledge of B.Sc. Nursing students on BSE and to evaluate the effectiveness of the structured teaching programme(STP) on BSE.One group pre-test post-test design with pre-experimental approach was adopted. The STP was prepared by the investigator focusing on BSE. A structured knowledge questionnaire was prepared to assess the knowledge and later the same questionnaire was administered post-test. A sample of 50 B.Sc. Nursing students was selected by using non probability convenience sampling. The study findings showed that the level of knowledge of B.Sc. Nursing students considerably increased after the educational programme. In the pre-test, 74% of the subjects had average knowledge level and 26% subjects had poor knowledge level. Where as in the post-test, 18% had good knowledge and 82% of the subjects had average knowledge on BSE.From these findings,it was evident that there was significant increase in the knowledge on BSE among the B.Sc. Nursing students after STP. Therefore, the investigators concluded that educational intervention was effective in gaining the knowledge.