UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Methods: Most guidelines advocate that asymptomatic men seeking PSA testing to detect early prostate cancer should be advised of the pros and cons of testing and make an informed choice. The difficult task of managing consumer demands in the face of conflicting viewpoints and uncertain medicolegal requirements usually falls on GPs who until recently have had few resources to assist them. In response to this a broadly based partnership of professional organizations and consumers developed an education program and practice resource for GPs. The workshops cover two main areas: the medical context of prostate cancer; and facilitating shared decision making. The practice resources include a GP/patient showcard, a GP reference card and patient information.

Results: The program was piloted in Queensland and Victoria and significantly increased GP knowledge about and confidence in discussing testing. Feedback about the workshops and the practice resource was very positive and indicated that the program was robust across settings, clinically relevant and useful in general practice. Further developments including a train the trainer program and a web based learning module will be described.

Conclusion: In a health topic characterised by divergent viewpoints, this program provides evidence of the benefits of taking a collaborative and consultative approach and closely linking program development to GPs' expressed needs in order to transfer knowledge into action.