Claire Parker and Maria Flynn evaluate whether written information is a priority for men with low-risk prostate cancer in their active surveillance treatment plan
Active surveillance (AS) is a treatment option offered to men with low-risk prostate cancer, as an alternative to other radical curative interventions. AS involves regular consultations, digital rectal examinations and repeat biopsies, and men need to be given relevant and accessible information to help them make an informed choice about their treatment plan. In an NHS trust, AS has been offered for several years, yet it is not known whether the written information that is given to men at diagnosis is useful to them. In the context of patients being active participants in their care, it is important to review the ways in which we disseminate information to help people make treatment choices. This small evaluation was designed to explore men’s views of the usefulness of written information in their decision making about treatment options for low-risk prostate cancer. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and interview transcripts were thematically coded.
Findings suggest that written information is less useful to men than clinical consultations, which may have implications for the ways in which we involve and support men with prostate cancer in making their treatment decisions.
Cancer Nursing Practice. 15, 4, 23-27. doi: 10.7748/cnp.15.4.23.s19
Correspondence Peer reviewThis article has been subject to double-blind review and checked using antiplagiarism software
Conflict of interestNone declared
Received: 10 March 2016
Accepted: 15 April 2016
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