WILLIAMSBURG, VA USA (UroToday.com) - AUA, ACS, NCCN, and ASCO guidelines stress the importance of shared and informed decision-making in the screening of prostate cancer.
Patients diagnosed with prostate cancer are often counseled about treatment options with the use of terms that are part of the ‘core’ vocabulary of prostate cancer. Previous studies have demonstrated a lack of comprehension of such medical terminology (K. Kilbridge, JCO 2009). Lack of knowledge regarding prostate cancer has been associated with decisional regret.
Predominantly lower-literacy patients would demonstrate a severe lack of comprehension of prostate cancer terms, thus validating the findings of a previous single institution study.
A previously developed survey was used to evaluate understanding of terms related to urinary, bowel, and sexual function. The survey was administered by evaluators at two safety-net clinics that care for low-income, predominantly African-American patients. Comprehension was assessed using semi-qualitative methods coded by two independent investigators. The study included English-speaking men over the age of 40.
A severe lack of comprehension of prostate health terminology exists that may be widespread, even among educated patients. A continued need for refined methods of prostate cancer education is critical.
Presented by Daniel S. Wang, Caroline G. Tai, Musu Sesay, Daniel K. Lee, Michael Goodman, Katharina V. Echt, Kerry E. Kilbridge, Ashesh B. Jani, and Viraj A. Master at the 77th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Section of the AUA - March 14 - 17, 2013 - Colonial Williamsburg Lodge - Williamsburg, VA USA
Departments of Urology, Medicine, and Radiation Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA
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