Testing Decision Aids About Early Stage Prostate Cancer

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

Patient-Physician communication, Decision Support Techniques, Health Communication, Physician-Patient Relationship, Decision Making

Eligible participants receive the written decision aid ("Making the Choice: Deciding What to Do About Early Stage Prostate Cancer") AND the DVD decision aid ("Discussing the Choice: Talking with your Doctor about Early Stage Prostate Cancer"), which provides instruction and recommendations on how to participate in shared decision making with one's physician.

Eligible participants receive the written decision aid ("Making the Choice: Deciding What to Do About Early Stage Prostate Cancer") alone.

The decision aid, "Discussing the Choice: Talking with your Doctor about Early Stage Prostate Cancer" is a DVD modeling patient communication strategies. The DVD includes vignettes with actors depicting patient-physician discussions of prostate cancer treatments. In these vignettes, the patient models communication strategies designed to facilitate patient activation.

A written decision aid entitled "Making the Choice: Deciding What to Do About Early Stage Prostate Cancer" that describes treatment options for early stage prostate cancer.

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

Fridman I, Ubel PA, Kahn VC, Fagerlin A. Association of quantitative information and patient knowledge about prostate cancer outcomes. Health Psychol. 2022 Jul;41(7):484-491. doi: 10.1037/hea0001196.