The Influence of Distress on Knowledge Transfer for Men Newly Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer

Abstract

The purpose of this inquiry was to evaluate the efficacy of prostate cancer education sessions. Implementation of 3-h patient educational sessions was intended to provide men newly diagnosed with localized prostate cancer, who face difficult and complex decisions, information about potential treatment options. Fifty-seven men completed the distress thermometer assessment before the education session to assess baseline levels of distress. Seven of the men were interviewed post-educational session to determine the degree of knowledge transfer from the session. This study explored the efficacy of the patients' learning experience using an interpretive phenomenological research approach. Resulting data revealed that these patients, as adult learners, were distressed and that, despite the availability of pertinent medical content, the subject material was not learned as intended or readily understood. The conclusion drawn from this preliminary applied educational research study was that the education model used was less than efficacious at ensuring that sufficient knowledge transfer was achieved for medical treatment decision-making processes. These findings suggest a need for future research to explore the application of adult learning theories and approaches that may offer enhanced knowledge translation and transfer for prostate cancer education programs.

Advancing patient-centered care through transformative educational leadership: a critical review of health care professional preparation for patient-centered care

“…Patients and families want to be provided the opportunity to be respected partners in their care and meaningfully involved in decision making about their health. 6 The value of PCC More recently, PCC has been emphasized within trends that focus on meeting the health care needs of specific patient populations. PCC is considered to be at the core of cultural competency 7 and foundational to humanistic care delivery to people experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage.…”

“…Authentic PCC means that the patient's voice is heard loudly and clearly, not as an adjunct to a professional initiative, but as a knowledgeable other and partner with experiences capable of informing health care practices. 6 When care is provided within a collaborative approach, the knowledge that guides treatment or prevention emerges in a space shared and actively negotiated by both parties. In other words, true PCC does not belong to either the health care provider or to the patient/family.…”

What Is a “Good” Treatment Decision? Decisional Control, Knowledge, Treatment Decision Making, and Quality of Life in Men with Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer

“…However, given evidence that many men and their families experience prostate cancer treatment decision making as challenging, 21–23 we predicted that greater engagement in the process, indicated by higher decisional control and knowledge, would be associated with greater decision-making difficulty. It is possible that knowledge has a larger impact on treatment decision making to the extent that patients are actively involved in the treatment decision-making process.…”

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Self-efficacy as Predictors of Preparedness for Oncology Clinical Trials

“…As noted previously, in the oncology context, patients are traditionally approached for cancer clinical trials when they are newly diagnosed or have been found to have worsening of their disease, when levels of distress are high. Higher levels of psychological distress can interfere with knowledge uptake (26), and distress has also been associated with higher levels of decisional conflict (27–28). Moreover, psychological distress has been associated with greater perceived barriers to enrollment in clinical trials (9).…”