A global survey of patients with prostate cancer has come up with a list of ten recommendations for health professionals and policy-makers.
Conducted by PatientView (publisher of HSCNews) between September and October 2007 and financed by Hill & Knowlton, an international public relations company, 312 patients were asked about their experiences in their country's healthcare system.
Patients recommended:
- Government policies that aim to reduce the mortality rate from the disease.
- Screening procedures for all men aged over 50.
- International recognition for every legitimate prostate cancer treatment.
- Healthcare systems (whether insurer or state) should be willing to pay for accepted treatments.
- Increased R&D investment in prostate cancer research.
- Care to be managed by a team of health professionals.
- Guarantees that the team members (including pathologists who check prostate biopsy samples) are sufficiently skilled.
- Honesty from doctors about the risks and benefits of treatment.
- Patients with prostate cancer to be told of treatment choices.
- Patients to be involved in medical decisions that affect them personally.
Full results are in HSCNews International, no.40 dated December 2007.
