Testing Decision Aids About Early Stage Prostate Cancer

Promoting Shared Decision Making in Prostate Cancer Through Decision Aids

This is an educational intervention study testing the effects of decision aids in promoting patient participation in early stage prostate cancer treatment decision making. The purpose of this study is to compare patient-physician communication between patients who receive a DVD that models patient communication strategies vs. those who do not receive a DVD. All patients will also receive a written decision aid that describes treatment options for early stage prostate cancer. The Investigators hypothesize that the DVD will:

• increase patients' perceptions of the importance of their preferences to their decision making
• increase patients' perceptions of their intention to discuss their values and preferences with their urologists and radiation oncologists
• increase patients' actual engagement with their physician during the clinical encounter
• increase the concordance between patient decision making preferences and actual decision making outcomes
• increase long term satisfaction with decision on type of treatment selected
• increase patient satisfaction with their decision and the decision making process
• influence patient perception of his physician (e.g., trust) and of the diagnosis visit

Inclusion Criteria:

• Men aged 18 years and older
• Scheduled for a prostate biopsy to test for prostate cancer
• Ability to read and answer survey questions in English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Previous diagnosis of prostate cancer