[Austrian patient information materials on PSA-screening do not meet international evidence-based standards]

Currently, the available evidence regarding the net benefits of prostate cancer screening with PSA (prostate-specific antigen) tests is unclear. Therefore, international guidelines do not recommend PSA-screening on a regular basis for men. Because of the unclear evidence, guidelines emphasize the importance of shared decision-making. Shared decision-making, however, requires that balanced and evidence-based information is available for those who take PSA-screening into consideration. The aim of this paper was to evaluate all in Austria available patient information materials on PSA-screening with regard to their evidence-based content and their potential to facilitate informed decision-making.

To get information materials, we contacted a wide variety of public, industry, and academic institutions, professional organisations, patient advocacy groups, and other organisations that are concerned with prostate cancer screening in Austria. Two persons independently evaluated the quality of each information product based on adapted criteria of the UK (United Kingdom) General Medical Council.

We evaluated a total of 17 information leaflets. Not a single brochure fulfilled all of the criteria necessary for informed decision-making. More than half fulfilled less than 50% of the recommended criteria. All of the analysed leaflets provided information about the benefits of screening, while only 35% mentioned the possibility of harms caused by screening.

To date, Austrian patient information materials on PSA-screening do not meet international standards. Therefore, they cannot serve as a balanced and objective information base for informed decision-making.