Clinical
Communication for
Male
Cancer Screening
A
complete curriculum for teaching medical, physician assistant,
and
nurse practitioner students about screening for prostate,
colorectal, and testicular cancers
Funded
by National Cancer Institute
#5R25 CA82320
Copyright 2003
This curriculum focuses on communication
skills key to effective early detection and prevention advice about
prostate, colorectal, and testicular cancers for male patients. Research
has shown that communication between provider and patient is key to
determining and implementing the appropriate cancer screening regimen,
and inadequate communication affects cancer screening rates.
Rates for colorectal cancer screening among males remains well below the national objectives outlined in Healthy People 2010. Prostate cancer screening rates have risen, but efficacy of available screening tests remains unproven. Testicular cancer incidence has risen over the past five decades in the U.S., and this cancer is the most common malignant tumor among males aged 15 to 35 years. Although several professional organizations such as the American Cancer Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends annual testicular examinations, there is little evidence that health care providers are performing the exam or teaching patients the testicular self-examination.
The Clinical Communication for Male Cancer Screening curriculum contains a) an instructional guide for faculty use, b) a CD-Rom with PowerPoint® presentations and teaching materials, and c) a videotape containing five discussion cases. These materials are available for download and use in student teaching from this website. This curriculum is designed to:
- Present the scientific rationale and evidence for current guidelines for screening
- Incorporate medical interviewing techniques in a skills-based approach for clinical student learning
- Demonstrate examples of effective interpersonal techniques in videotaped patient-physician interactions for discussion and practice.
Why are communication skills necessary for students in the health professions?
Eight focus groups of males aged 18-75 discussed their experiences with cancer screening tests and their interactions with health care providers. Participants spoke of feeling disconnected from preventive health care services and expressed dissatisfaction with many previous medical encounters:
“Most doctors don’t take the time to explain stuff.... They do the exam , and they leave like they have more important stuff to do.”
“But as a male, as you’re goin’ though life, you know, these [health] things don’t get discussed… Then all of a sudden you get to a certain age and this thing that no one ever really talked about is now an issue."
"Talking to the patient in the language that the patient can understand, I think that's the key. You can go all high falutin' and talk about prostate specific androgens [sic], and if the patient don't understand what that means, he's going to start to get frightened."
Last updated: 09/18/2003
Contact: MCS
Mail
Brown University
Providence RI 02903
To cite information from this curriculum, we recommend the following format:
Dubé CE, Fuller BK, Rosen RK, Fagan M, O’Donnell JF, Rakowski W. (2003). Clinical Communication for Male Cancer Screening: A Curriculum for Medical Students. Providence, RI: Brown University.
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