Sources of Information for Learning and Decision-Making in Men With Localized Prostate Cancer

Sumedha Chhatre; Marsha N Wittink; Joseph J Gallo; Ravishankar Jayadevappa

doi:10.1177/1557988320945461

Sources of Information for Learning and Decision-Making in Men With Localized Prostate Cancer

Am J Mens Health. 2020 Sep-Oct;14(5):1557988320945461. doi: 10.1177/1557988320945461.

Authors

Sumedha Chhatre^{1

2}, Marsha N Wittink³, Joseph J Gallo⁴, Ravishankar Jayadevappa^{2

5

6

7

8}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
² Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
³ Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
⁴ Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁵ Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
⁶ Urology, Department of Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
⁷ Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
⁸ Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Abstract

Information seeking is essential for effective patient-centered decision-making. However, prostate cancer patients report a gap between information needed and information received. The importance of different information sources for treatment decision remains unclear. Thus, using the Comprehensive Model of Health Information (CMIS) framework, we assessed the antecedent factors, information carrier factors, and information-seeking activities in localized prostate cancer patients. Data were collected via semistructured one-on-one, interviews and structured survey. Men with localized prostate cancer were recruited from two urban health-care centers. Following the interview, participants completed a survey about sources that were helpful in learning about prostate cancer treatment and decision-making. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and subjected to a thematic analysis using NVivo 10. Fifty localized prostate cancer survivors completed the interviews and surveys. Important antecedent factors that were observed were age, marital status, uncertainty, anxiety, caregiver burden, and out-of-pocket expenses. We identified complexity, magnitude, and reliability as information carrier characteristics. Preferred sources for information were health providers, medical websites, and pamphlets from the doctor's office. These sources were also perceived as most helpful for decision-making. Urologists, urological oncologists, and radiation/radiation oncologists were important sources of information and helpful in decision-making. Prostate cancer patients obtained information from multiple sources. Most prostate cancer patients make patient-centered choices by incorporating personal factors and medical information. By considering factors that influence patients' treatment decisions, health-care providers can enhance the patient-centeredness of care. Multiple strategies and interventions are necessary for disseminating valid, reliable, and unbiased information to prostate cancer patients to facilitate informed decisions.

Keywords: information seeking; localized prostate cancer; patient interviews; shared decision-making; sources of information.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Consumer Health Informatics*
Decision Making*
Humans
Information Seeking Behavior
Interviews as Topic
Learning*
Male
Middle Aged
Prostatic Neoplasms*
Qualitative Research
Reproducibility of Results