Certification as a prostate cancer center requires the offer of several supportive measures to patients undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP). However, it remains unclear how patients estimate the relevance of these measures and whether the availability of these measures differs between certified prostate cancer centers (CERTs) and non-certified centers (NCERTs). In 20 German urologic centers, a survey comprising questions on the relevance of 15 supportive measures was sent to 1000 patients at a median of 15 months after RP. Additionally, patients were asked to rate the availability of these measures using a four-item Likert scale. The aim of this study was to compare these ratings between CERTs and NCERTs. The response rate was 75.0%. In total, 480 patients underwent surgery in CERTs, and 270 in NCERTs. Patients rated 6/15 supportive measures as very relevant: preoperative medical counselling concerning treatment options, a preoperative briefing answering last questions, preoperative pelvic floor exercises (PFEs), postoperative PFEs, postoperative social support, and postoperative rehabilitation addressing physical fitness recovery. These ratings showed no significant difference between CERTs and NCERTs (p = 0.133-0.676). In addition, 4/9 of the remaining criteria were rated as more detailed by patients in CERTs. IMPROVE represents the first study worldwide to evaluate a patient-reported assessment of the supportive measures accompanying RP. Pertinent offers vary marginally between CERTs and NCERTs.
Cancers. 2023 May 19*** epublish ***
Ingmar Wolff, Martin Burchardt, Julia Peter, Christian Thomas, Danijel Sikic, Christian Fiebig, Sören Promnitz, Bernd Hoschke, Maximilian Burger, Marco J Schnabel, Christian Gilfrich, Niklas Löbig, Nina N Harke, Florian A Distler, Matthias May
Department of Urology, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany., Department of Urology, St. Elisabeth Hospital Straubing, 94315 Straubing, Germany., Department of Urology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany., Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany., Department of Urology, Klinikum Frankfurt (Oder), 15236 Frankfort (Oder), Germany., Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, Carl-Thiem-Klinikum Cottbus, 03048 Cottbus, Germany., Department of Urology, Caritas-St. Josef Medical Center, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany., Department of Urology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany., Department of Urology and Urologic Oncology, Hanover Medical School, 30625 Hanover, Germany., Department of Urology, Paracelsus Medical University Nuremberg, 90419 Nuremberg, Germany.