Treatment decision making in prostate cancer: patients' participation in complex decisions.
OBJECTIVE
(1) To explore to what degree prostate cancer (PC) patients felt they had participated in treatment decision making (TDM). (2) To determine whether perceived roles during TDM were associated with medical and sociodemographic variables. (3) To examine to what extent satisfaction with TDM was related to perceived role or medical and sociodemographic variables.


METHODS
Patients (n=126) were recruited in hospitals and from the Dutch PC patient organization. The relationship between patients' role and stage of disease, treatment modality, age, social status and education was determined, as well as patients' satisfaction with TDM.


RESULTS
Most patients felt they had participated in TDM (autonomous 18%, collaborative 60%). Older patients and those with advanced disease more frequently reported not having been involved in decision making. Satisfaction with TDM was related to age and role in TDM but not to stage of disease or treatment modality. Younger men were least content when they had not been involved in decision making.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients' level of participation and satisfaction with TDM appears to be related to medical and sociodemographic variables.


CONCLUSIONS
Satisfaction with TDM may be related to patients' age and assumed role. It is recommended to take this into account when planning treatment for prostate cancer patients.
Fischer
Maarten
M
Helen Dowling Institute, Center for Psycho-oncology (HDI), Rubenslaan 190, 3582 JJ Utrecht, The Netherlands. maartenfischer@gmail.com
Visser
Adriaan
A
Voerman
Bert
B
Garssen
Bert
B
van Andel
George
G
Bensing
Jozien
J
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D010358:Patient Participation; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric