Efficacy of a video for teaching patients about prostate cancer screening and treatment

To test the effectiveness of a video to teach patients about prostate cancer screening and treatment in a clinic setting.

A staged, two-group, pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was used. Questionnaires were completed before and after a routine doctor's appointment in a Veteran's Administration clinic. The experimental group (n = 52) viewed the video, and the control group (n = 52) received usual care only. The two groups were similar in age, education, race, and quality of life.

Knowledge increased significantly from pretest to posttest for the experimental group, but not for the control group (p < .001). More patients in the experimental group changed their preference for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening (31% experimental vs. 2% control, p = .002), indicating the patients were impacted by the information presented. Viewing the video did not stimulate increased discussion with the physician or lengthen appointment time.

The video was effective in improving knowledge about a complex topic and changing some patients' preference for PSA testing without frightening or confusing patients.