The traditional decision aid took 30 to 45 minutes to complete, while the chronic disease trajectory model required about 30 minutes.
After viewing the traditional decision aid or the trajectory model, the men who opted not to have a PSA test were those who had expressed significantly less concern about prostate cancer at the study's outset, the researchers found.
However, the men in the control group who chose not to have a PSA had expressed just as much concern about prostate cancer as those who did have the test. This suggests, Frosch said, a "worse fit between men's values and decisions" in the control group.
The men in the control group also scored lowest on a test of their knowledge about prostate cancer, while those in the traditional decision aid group scored highest.
"Men who were sent to our decision aid learned some key facts that were important to know for making a decision about prostate cancer screening that men in the control group didn't learn," Frosch said. "Patients really need 'prescription-strength information' so that they can make the decisions that are right for them."
While interest in decision support tools is growing, and some health plans make them available to their members, they are still not widely available, according to Frosch.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, February 25, 2008.
