title: African american primary care physicians' prostate cancer screening practices.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prostate cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States. African American (AA) men have greater prostate cancer burden than other men. Little is known about AA primary care physicians' (PCPs) practices regarding prostate cancer screening.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed data from the 2007-2008 National Survey of Primary Care Physicians' Practices Regarding Prostate Cancer Screening. The current study included 604 AA PCPs. Outcomes assessed were (a) offering screening using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, (b) use of screening discussions to involve patients in the decision to screen, and (c) having a discussion policy to try to talk the patient into getting the screening tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most AA PCPs were male (52%), younger than 50 years (61%), and had 21% to 100% AA patients in their practices (74%). The majority (94%) of AA PCPs offered prostate cancer screening using PSA, discussed the tests with their male patients to involve them in the decision to screen (83%), and had a policy to try to talk the patient into getting the screening tests (77%). Multivariate analysis showed that offering screening, use of discussions, and a usual policy to encourage taking the screening tests varied mainly by practice-related factors, including practice type, practice location, and percentage of AA patients in the practice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Data from this study indicate that most AA PCPs reported high proscreening behaviors for all 3 outcomes. Additionally, practice- and screening-related factors may be important when examining AA PCP screening behaviors.
authors: North Carolina A & T State University, Greensboro, NC, USA.
authors: Louie E
authors: LE
authors: Ross
authors: Ingrid J
authors: IJ
authors: Hall
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D003657:Decision Making; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010358:Patient Participation; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States
keywords: African American primary care physicians; physician practices; prostate cancer; prostate-specific antigen; screening