Identify the pros and cons of prostate cancer screening methods
Prostate cancer is the second most common male cancer, with 1 in 8 men receiving a diagnosis in their lifetime.
On this four week course, you’ll learn from urologists and family medicine specialists, exploring the methods used to screen for prostate cancer.
You’ll assess evidence that both supports and criticises each method, allowing you to openly discuss the risks and benefits with your patients.
Examine prostate cancer epidemiology and risk factors
You’ll begin by exploring the epidemiology of the disease, identifying common risk factors that increase the chance of a positive diagnosis.
With most early prostate cancer sufferers asymptomatic, you’ll assess whether screening is a necessity for all men or just those identified as high risk.
Learn how to practice shared decision making
Shared decision making is a process where a doctor and patient discuss, negotiate, and agree on a course of action.
Having explored the complexities of prostate screening, its potential benefits, and associated risks, you’ll use case studies to examine the shared decision making approach to screening for prostate cancer.
Building on this knowledge, you’ll gain the skills to sensitively discuss screening, risks, and potential outcomes with your patients.
Explore treatment choices after a prostate cancer prognosis
You’ll finish this course by exploring what happens post-screening. You’ll learn how to interpret PSA results based on the risk of the patient, and what happens once a likely diagnosis of prostate cancer has been reached.
By the end of this course, using shared decision making, you’ll be able to support your patients, illustrating the risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening and helping them make informed decisions if further treatment is required.
This course is designed for primary care doctors, general practitioners, family medicine specialists, and allied health professionals. It is also suitable for medical and biomedical students who want to further their understanding of prostate cancer screening.
