Primary Care Physician Reports of Amount of Time Spent with Male Patients in Prostate Cancer Screening Discussions

Abstract

Background: Major health organizations recommend that physicians discuss the risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening with men before ordering tests. The length of time that health care providers spend discussing prostate cancer screening-related issues with patients has been given little attention. The purpose of this study was to determine the amount of time that primary care physicians (PCP) in the United States reported spending in discussions about prostate cancer screening with patients by selected PCP individual, practice-related, and screening-related factors. Methods: Data were obtained from the 2007-2008 National Survey of Primary Care Physician Practices Regarding Prostate Cancer Screening. We determined whether PCP characteristics were associated with amount of time spent with patients. Results: Results showed that female, African American or other race, and older PCP spend more time (above the median) with patients compared to their referents. Also, more time spent with male patients was more often associated with PCP having practices in urban inner city areas as well as when the screening decision was shared between the PCP and the patient/family. Conclusion: Results from this study offer some insight into the amount of time that PCP report spending with patients in discussing prostate cancer screening-related issues specifically, and confirms the involvement of individual as well as practice-level factors.