Updated patient information for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a permanent challenge

Ideally, a decision analysis should be performed in order to provide patient information and enhance decision-making procedures in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The steps associated with a decision analysis include creating a decision tree, identifying decision alternatives, quantifying the potential outcomes and weighing the potential outcomes according to the patients' requirements. However, doctors have their own individual experience and information on treatment from a wide variety of sources e.g. journals, conferences, the industry etc. Patients, in contrast, are informed by the popular media, friends and relatives etc. Updated patient information for the treatment of BPH therefore remains a permanent challenge. Each patient also has an individual acceptance of his symptoms, an individual tolerance to therapy according to his performance status, and an individual approach to medication or to surgery, whilst the doctor has novel experience with new drugs and instrumental procedures, his own individual availability of treatment options, and must always take the cost-effectiveness of a treatment into consideration.