TY - JOUR
T1 - The accuracy of primary care patients' self-reports of prostate-specific antigen testing
AU - Volk, Robert J.
AU - Cass, Alvah R.
N1 - Funding Information:
This project was supported by grants from the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, American Academy of Family Physicians, and Bureau of Health Professions of the Health Resources and Services Administration (D32-PE10158-01). We are grateful to Kristy O’Dell, PhD, Carol Carlson, BS, Joal Hill, JD, MPH, Anna Catalina Triana, MD, and Kristy Smith for assistance in collecting the data for this study; and to Pamela Paradis Tice, ELS, for help in editing the manuscript.
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - Background: The accuracy of reports made by male primary care patients of previous screening for prostate cancer with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) assay is important for clinical practice, surveillance, and research. Methods: As part of a clinical trial that evaluated a decision aid for prostate cancer screening, 133 male primary care patients, aged 45 to 70 years, were contacted 1 year after enrollment and asked whether they had received PSA testing. To corroborate these self-reports, each patient's clinic and hospital medical records were reviewed for evidence of PSA test results. Results: The raw percentage agreement between self-reported PSA testing and the medical records was 74.4% (κ=0.48). When compared to the findings of the medical record reviews, apparent overreporting by some patients was explained by problems with recalling the test within the 1-year time frame (4.5%) and by having been tested outside of the medical center (5.3%). Uncertainty about having been tested was reported by six (4.5%) patients with PSA test results in their medical records. Misreported testing could not be explained for 11.3% of patients. Patients who had not completed high school were 2.7 times more likely to misreport PSA testing (95% confidence interval, 1.61-3.87). Conclusions: The accuracy of primary care patients' self-reports of previous PSA testing is questionable. Errors in reporting are due largely to problems with recalling a test within a specific time frame or to testing outside of the primary care setting. Under-reporting is a problem for patients uncertain of previous testing.
AB - Background: The accuracy of reports made by male primary care patients of previous screening for prostate cancer with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) assay is important for clinical practice, surveillance, and research. Methods: As part of a clinical trial that evaluated a decision aid for prostate cancer screening, 133 male primary care patients, aged 45 to 70 years, were contacted 1 year after enrollment and asked whether they had received PSA testing. To corroborate these self-reports, each patient's clinic and hospital medical records were reviewed for evidence of PSA test results. Results: The raw percentage agreement between self-reported PSA testing and the medical records was 74.4% (κ=0.48). When compared to the findings of the medical record reviews, apparent overreporting by some patients was explained by problems with recalling the test within the 1-year time frame (4.5%) and by having been tested outside of the medical center (5.3%). Uncertainty about having been tested was reported by six (4.5%) patients with PSA test results in their medical records. Misreported testing could not be explained for 11.3% of patients. Patients who had not completed high school were 2.7 times more likely to misreport PSA testing (95% confidence interval, 1.61-3.87). Conclusions: The accuracy of primary care patients' self-reports of previous PSA testing is questionable. Errors in reporting are due largely to problems with recalling a test within a specific time frame or to testing outside of the primary care setting. Under-reporting is a problem for patients uncertain of previous testing.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0036137505&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0036137505&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0749-3797(01)00397-X
DO - 10.1016/S0749-3797(01)00397-X
M3 - Review article
C2 - 11777680
AN - SCOPUS:0036137505
SN - 0749-3797
VL - 22
SP - 56
EP - 58
JO - American Journal of Preventive Medicine
JF - American Journal of Preventive Medicine
IS - 1
ER -