To measure patient knowledge about Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and identify factors associated with knowledge deficiencies among those newly presenting to our urology clinic.
Adult men presenting as new patients to our institution's urology clinic regardless of chief complaint were invited to complete a 26-item multiple choice questionnaire to assess basic knowledge about BPH, related symptomatology, and treatment options prior to their initial consultation. Responses were correlated to demographic variables using ANOVA and multivariable linear modeling.
206 patients completed the questionnaire and had a mean age of 60.8 years. The majority were White (85.6%) and 28.9% were Medicare/Medicaid insured. The mean correct response rate was 62% (standard deviation of 22.9%) with the worst performing domain being BPH complications. Having a graduate or professional degree (p<0.001) and self-referral were associated with significantly higher scores (p=0.027).
There remain significant knowledge gaps about BPH among men seeking urologic care. Education tools for both patients and primary care physicians may help improve health literacy as well as health outcomes for patients with BPH.
Urology. 2025 Jan 15 [Epub ahead of print]
Suruchi Ramanujan, Peace Orji, Austin Chiu, Sailakshmi Senthil Kumar, William Jevnikar, Bailey Cox, Drogo Montague, Nima Almassi, Byron Lee, James Bena, Shannon Morrison, Ali Cyrus Chehroudi, Petar Bajic, Smita De
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA., Department of Urology, Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Fairborn, Ohio, USA., Department of Urology, Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA., Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.