PSA testing; who initiates it and is there adequate discussion?

摘要

The National Health Interview Survey conducted in the USA in 2000 included 2,676 men aged 40 years and older who had undergone PSA testing. According to a new analysis of the responses, 74% of the men reported that PSA screening was initiated by their physician. This proportion increased with advancing age, declining health status, lack of family history of prostate cancer, and non-Hispanic ethnicity,. Overall, 65% of the men reported prior discussion with their physician about the advantages and disadvantages of PSA testing. Discussions were significantly more common when the physician initiated testing (69%) than when the patient initiated it (55%). The researchers conclude that testing "is usually initiated by physicians, frequently in men relatively less likely to benefit from it, and often without prior discussion of the test's advantages and disadvantages,"