Awareness of the European Code Against Cancer of Family Medicine Residents and Nursing and Medicine Students in Spain

Health professionals and students in training are key for early diagnosis of cancer. The objective of this study was to evaluate the awareness of Family Medicine (FM) residents and Medicine and Nursing undergraduate students in Spain regarding the European Code Against Cancer (ECAC). This was a descriptive, cross-sectional, and multicenter study. Location: Teaching Units of FM of Cordoba and Ceuta and Schools of Medicine and Nursing of the Universities of Cordoba and Francisco de Vitoria of Madrid (Spain). Participants: residents of FM and Medicine and Nursing undergraduate Spanish students. Intervention: self-administered questionnaire to assess the awareness about the ECAC. A total of 651 subjects participated (52.4% [95% CI 48.5–56.2] Nursing students, 34% [95% CI 30.3–37.6] Medicine students, and 13.6% [95% CI 11.0–16.3] FM residents). Of the total subjects participated, 74.8% were women. Mean age: 22.34 years (standard deviation, 4.68; range, 18–52; 95% CI, 21.98–22.70). A total of 76.8% (95% CI 73.5–80.1) declared to be unaware of the ECAC. Those referring to be aware of the ECAC mainly knew it through degree subjects (7.5% [95% CI 5.5.5–9.6]). Residents of FM ( p