Internet-Based Education for Prostate Cancer Screening

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the leading cancer diagnosis among men and the second leading cause of male cancer death. However, screening asymptomatic men remains controversial, as early diagnosis and treatment of PCa has not yet demonstrated reduced disease-related mortality in a randomized trial. The goal of the current study is to develop and assess widely accessible methods to assist men in making informed decisions about PCa screening. We will compare the efficacy of a new web-based, interactive decision support approach to our existing print-based PCa screening decision tool, among a diverse sample of male primary care patients. Abundant evidence documents the expanding role of the Internet in increasing access to and understanding of health information and the need for systematic evaluations of Internet-based interventions. A novel aspect of the proposed trial will be our focus on cognitive biases as a factor that has limited the success of previous information-based interventions. Specifically, we will evaluate: 1) confirmation bias and 2) short-term consequences bias.

Sex

Male

Minimum age

45 Years

Maximum age

70 Years

Inclusion Criteria:

* Active primary care patients at Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington Hospital Center, or Medstar Physician Partners (I,e, seen during the past two years)
* English-speaking
* 45-70 years of age; AND
* Ability to provide meaningful consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

* History of prostate cancer.

• DERIVEDDorfman CS, Williams RM, Kassan EC, Red SN, Dawson DL, Tuong W, Parker ER, Ohene-Frempong J, Davis KM, Krist AH, Woolf SH, Schwartz MD, Fishman MB, Cole C, Taylor KL. The development of a web- and a print-based decision aid for prostate cancer screening. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2010 Mar 3;10:12. doi: 10.1186/1472-6947-10-12. PMID 20199680