Abstract
BackgroundProfessional medical organizations recommend individualized patient decision making about prostate cancer screening. Little is known about primary care physicians' use of pre-screening discussions to promote informed decision making for prostate cancer screening. The aim of this study is to explore physicians' use of pre-screening discussions and reasons why physicians would or would not try to persuade patients to be screened if they initially refuse testing.MethodsPrimary care physicians completed a self-administered survey about prostate cancer screening practices for informed decision making.ResultsSixty-six physicians (75.9%) completed the survey, and 63 were used in the analysis. Thirteen physicians (20.6%) reported not using prescreening discussions, 45 (71.4%) reported the use of prescreening discussions, and 3 (4.8%) reported neither ordering the PSA test nor discussing it with patients. Sixty-nine percent of physicians who reported not having discussions indicated they were more likely to screen African American patients for prostate cancer, compared to 50% of physicians who reported the use of discussions (Chi-square(1) = 1.62, p = .20). Similarly, 91% of physicians who reported not having discussions indicated they are more likely to screen patients with a family history of prostate cancer, compared to 46% of those who reported the use of discussion (Chi-square(1) = 13.27, p < .001). Beliefs about the scientific evidence and efficacy of screening, ethical concerns regarding patient autonomy, and concerns about time constraints differed between physicians who would and would not try to persuade a patient to be tested.ConclusionAlthough guidelines recommend discussing the risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening, physicians report varying practice styles. Future research needs to consider the nature of discussions and the degree to which informed decision making is being achieved in clinical practice.
Highlights
Professional medical organizations recommend individualized patient decision making about prostate cancer screening
We explored reasons why physicians would or would not try to persuade patients to be screened if they initially refused prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, and how their screening practices differ for men in high risk groups (i.e., African American race, and family history of prostate cancer)
The reported frequency of ordering PSA tests was highest among ND primary care physicians (PCPs) followed by D PCPs who recommend PSA testing for their patients
Summary
Professional medical organizations recommend individualized patient decision making about prostate cancer screening. Little is known about primary care physicians' use of prescreening discussions to promote informed decision making for prostate cancer screening. Professional medical organizations recommend informing men about the potential harms and benefits of prostate cancer screening, which is commensurate with informed decision making (IDM) for prostate cancer screening [3,4,5]. Little is known about physicians' practice styles regarding IDM for prostate cancer screening. Non-routine screeners included physicians who offered PSA testing without recommending for or against it. Most non-routine screeners reported having pre-screening discussions with patients about PSA testing. Routine screeners included physicians who recommended PSA testing, and few of them reported having pre-screening discussions
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