PURPOSE: Prostate cancer (PCa) risk estimation tools have been developed to help guide patients and physicians in clinical decision making across all disease states.
Our aim was to assess usage patterns of these tools using an online survey to American Urological Association (AUA) members.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 21 question online-based survey was distributed to 5,674 AUA members to query PCa risk estimation tool usage. The survey was divided into four categories: 1) demographics 2) Pre-biopsy Risk Assessment 3) Pre-treatment Risk Assessment and 4) Risk Estimation Tool Usage.
RESULTS: In total, 565 members (10%) responded to the online survey with 31% of members reporting usage of a risk estimation tool in the pre-biopsy decision setting. Providers who spend more than 20 minutes counseling patients were more likely to use a risk estimation tool (OR 2.2, p< 0.01). After the diagnosis of PCa, 70% of providers use a risk estimation tools to guide treatment recommendations. The total time spent counseling a patient (> 30 min) and the number of years in practice (< 10 years) predicted of PCa risk tool usage (OR 2.4 p< 0.01 and OR 3.4 p< 0.01 respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: AUA respondents use risk estimation tools more frequently in the pretreatment setting than the pre-biopsy setting. Length of time spent counseling patients and time since graduating residency predicted the likelihood to use risk estimation tools.
Written by:
Otto BJ, Osterberg EC, Salgado S, Scherr DS, Shariat SF. Are you the author?
Department of Urology, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY; Department of Urology, Vienna General Hospital, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Reference: J Urol. 2015 Jan 3. pii: S0022-5347(14)05218-5.
doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2014.12.090
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 25562444