Information and patient participation in screening for prostate cancer

The purpose of this study was to determine if providing men with information about screening for prostate cancer would enable them to assume a more active role in decision making with their family physician, and lower levels of anxiety and decisional conflict. Men were recruited from one family medical clinic in Winnipeg, Manitoba. One hundred men scheduled for a periodic health examination (PHE) were randomly assigned to receive verbal and written information either prior to the PHE, or following the second interview. Men completed measures of preferred decisional role and anxiety prior to the PHE; and assumed decisional role, decisional conflict, and anxiety post PHE. Results demonstrated that men who received the information prior to the PHE assumed a significantly more active role in making a screening decision, and had lower levels of decisional conflict post PHE. The two groups did not differ with regard to levels of state anxiety. Providing men with information enables them to make informed screening decisions with their family physicians.