Perceptions and misconceptions of PSA screening in Switzerland: A preference epidemiology study
Giovanni Spitale1, Federico Germani1, Nikola Biller-Andorno1
1Institute for Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine (IBME), Winterthurerstrasse 30, 8006, Zürich (CH), Switzerland.
Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|November 26, 2025
Summary
Men overestimate prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening benefits, supporting it even without proven life-saving effects. Understanding patient values is crucial for informed prostate cancer screening decisions.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Public Health
- Health Psychology
Background:
- Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer presents a complex balance between potential benefits and harms like overdiagnosis and overtreatment.
- Understanding individual and societal perspectives on these trade-offs is essential for informed decision-making in cancer screening.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore how individuals evaluate the trade-offs associated with PSA screening using a preference epidemiology approach.
- To identify thresholds for acceptable or burdensome PSA screening based on personal and societal values.
- To investigate the influence of psychosocial factors on health-related decision-making regarding PSA screening.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey of 425 Swiss men aged 55+ was conducted.
- Participants reported awareness, screening history, and willingness for future screenings.
- Hypothetical scenarios with varying overdiagnosis-to-lives-saved ratios were evaluated; quantitative (Chi-square, MANOVA) and qualitative (thematic analysis) data were collected.
Main Results:
- Participants significantly overestimated PSA screening's life-saving potential (median estimate: 50 deaths prevented vs. actual 3/1000).
- Over half supported screening even when no deaths were prevented.
- Personal and family cancer history strongly influenced support for screening.
Conclusions:
- Providing factual information alone is insufficient for informed, autonomous decision-making regarding PSA screening.
- Experiential and psychosocial factors significantly shape how individuals interpret evidence and evaluate medical trade-offs.
- Preference epidemiology offers a framework for developing patient-centered screening programs that are sensitive to individual values.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:16Surveys
16.6K
Often, psychologists develop surveys as a means of gathering data. Surveys are lists of questions to be answered by research participants, and can be delivered as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally. Generally, the survey itself can be completed in a short time, and the ease of administering a survey makes it easy to collect data from a large number of people.
16.6K
01:29Bias in Epidemiological Studies
1.2K
Biases can arise at various stages of research, from study design and data collection to analysis and interpretation. Recognizing and addressing these biases is essential to ensure the validity and reliability of epidemiological findings.Broadly speaking, biases in epidemiology fall into three main categories: selection bias, information bias, and confounding. A more detailed description of possible biases is:
1.2K
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
387
Biopharmaceutical studies constitute a vital field aiming to enhance drug delivery methods and refine therapeutic approaches, drawing upon diverse interdisciplinary knowledge. In research methodologies, the choice between controlled and non-controlled studies significantly influences the study's reliability and accuracy.
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
387