Facilitating Shared Decision Making About Prostate Cancer Screening Among African American Men

Purpose/Objectives: To describe the development and implementation of a prostate cancer screening intervention and risk assessment decision tool. Design: Community health promotion with pre- and post-education knowledge questionnaires. Setting: Two predominantly African American churches in different suburban communities in Southern California. Sample: A convenience sample of 50 African American men aged from 30-75 years. Methods: A Prostate Cancer Screening Decision Aid was developed and used in conjunction with an educational intervention for African American men in two suburban communities in Southern California. The educational intervention was implemented in local African American churches. The intervention included a PowerPoint (R) presentation with a four-minute video. Men completed pre- and post-education knowledge questionnaires and a risk assessment decision tool. Main Research Variables: Prostate cancer knowledge, awareness of prostate cancer personal risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening, information needed for initiating discussions with provider, and intention to participate in shared decision making with healthcare providers. Findings: An 8% increase in knowledge was calculated when comparing pre- and post-education responses. Awareness of personal risks, having the information needed to initiate a discussion with a healthcare provider, intention to participate in shared decision making within six months, prostate cancer knowledge, and having had participated in screening increased. Conclusions: The intervention was successful in increasing knowledge and awareness of personal risks and providing tools to facilitate shared decision making with healthcare providers. Implications for Nursing: Nurses can play a meaningful role in collaborating with community lay leaders to develop and implement effective health promotion interventions for African Americans.