The effect of an illustrated pamphlet decision-aid on the use of prostate cancer screening tests.
BACKGROUND
Prostate cancer screening with serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and digital rectal examination (DRE) continues to increase. Our goal was to test the effect of a prostate cancer screening decision-aid on patients' knowledge, beliefs, and use of prostate cancer screening tests.


METHODS
Our study was a randomized controlled trial of a prostate cancer screening decision-aid consisting of an illustrated pamphlet as opposed to a comparison intervention. We included 257 men aged 50 to 80 years who were receiving primary care at a Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The decision-aid provided quantitative outcomes of prostate cancer screening with DRE and PSA. We subsequently evaluated prostate cancer screening knowledge, beliefs, and test use.


RESULTS
The illustrated pamphlet decision-aid was effective in improving knowledge of prostate cancer screening tests: 95% of the experimental group were aware of the possibility of false-negative test results compared with 85% of the comparison group (P <.01). Ninety-one percent of the experimental group were aware of the possibility of a false-positive screening test result compared with 65% of the comparison group (P <.01). However, there was no difference in the use of prostate cancer screening between the experimental (82%) and comparison (84%) groups, (P >.05).


CONCLUSIONS
When used in a primary care setting, an illustrated pamphlet decision-aid was effective in increasing knowledge of prostate cancer screening tests but did not change the use of these tests.
Schapira
M M
MM
Department of Internal Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Clement J. Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Milwaukee 53295-1000, USA. mschap@mcw.edu
VanRuiswyk
J
J
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003657:Decision Making; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010174:Pamphlets; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014922:Wisconsin