Informed decision-making based on a leaflet in the context of prostate cancer screening.

Abstract

We aimed to assess to what extent men make informed choices in the context of prostate cancer screening and how written material contributes to that process. We developed a leaflet describing prostate cancer screening, and a questionnaire consisting of knowledge, attitude, and intended screening uptake components to assess informed decision-making. The leaflet and questionnaire were pilot-tested among men of the target population, adapted accordingly, and sent to 761 members of an online research panel. We operationalized whether the leaflet was read as spending one minute on the leaflet page and by a self-reported answer of respondents. The response rate was 66% (501/761). The group who read the leaflet (n = 342) correctly answered a knowledge item significantly more often (10.9 versus 8.8; p < 0.001) than those who did not read the leaflet (n = 159), and made more informed choices (73% versus 56%; p = 0.001). There were no significant differences in attitude and intended screening uptake between both groups. Having read the leaflet could be one of the factors associated with increased levels of knowledge and informed decision-making. The results of this study showed that increasing knowledge and supporting informed decision-making with written material are feasible in prostate cancer screening.