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PubMed · 12014043

[Knowledge about PSA among primary care physicians].

Nicolás Chesa Ponce·Juan Carlos Orengo Valverde
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The use of prostate-specific antigen as a tumor marker has led to an important advancement in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Primary care physicians have started to request this test over the last 5 or 6 years. However, an inadequate use of this tumor marker has been observed. This study analyzes the primary care physicians' knowledge about PSA. METHODS: A cross-sectional and observational study was conducted. A questionnaire with 12 closed questions on PSA was sent out to 350 primary care physicians in the Canary Islands (Spain) The study was confidential and the following variables were analyzed: absolute frequencies, percentages and comparison of percentages (95% CI). RESULTS: We received 186 questionnaires (53.1%). To the question on whether the physician had sufficient knowledge about the test, 36% (67) answered 'yes' and 64% 'no'. The items that showed a higher percentage of correct answers were: "with the use of PSA, the utility of DRE has dropped (91.9%), "PSA can increase in prostate cancer (88.7%)", "a PSA level < 4 ng/ml indicates no prostate cancer (88.2%)" and "PSA > 4 ng/ml indicates prostate cancer" (86.6%). The percentages of correct answers for the remaining questions were less than 70%. CONCLUSIONS: The study shows that primary care physicians' knowledge about PSA is insufficient and a continuing education program is necessary.

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Clinical CompetenceCross-Sectional StudiesHumansMalePrimary Health CareProstate-Specific AntigenSurveys and QuestionnairesEnglish AbstractJournal Article

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BibTeXRIS

Nicolás Chesa Ponce, Juan Carlos Orengo Valverde. 2002. [Knowledge about PSA among primary care physicians].. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12014043/

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