2000 Best Original Research Paper in Cancer Nursing Award “Barriers to Prostate Cancer Screening”

*Cancer Nursing™
An International Journal for Cancer Care

Nurses have the opportunity -- and responsibility – to help ensure equal health care to all Americans, Historically, African Americans and low-income men have not participated in screening – even though they have the highest prostate cancer mortality rates.  Yet when our subjects responded to, “What would make it hard for you to get your prostate checkup done?”  Two-thirds of the 1,432 men did not identify any barriers.  Among the men who did identify barriers, health care barriers significant in predicting participation were:  “doctor hours not convenient,” “didn’t know kind of doctor,” and “didn’t know where to go.”  This research documents that when system barriers of cost and education were eliminated, almost three fourths of the African American and low-income men did participate in the free prostate cancer screening.

Nurses have a responsibility to inform men of the risks, as well as benefits, associated with prostate cancer screening.  Incontinence and impotence from some of the prostate cancer treatments are the main risks.  This study reports the absence of an association between men’s fear of impotence and participation in screening.  Fear of impotence NOT a significant barrier to participation in the free prostate cancer screening.  This study was supported in part by R01 CA60561 from the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Sally Weinrich is Professor at the School of Nursing, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, and Research Professor, Population Studies, South Carolina Cancer Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C. . Dr. Weinrich is grateful for her 31 years of nursing, and having the chance to learn through experience, the true satisfaction that comes from serving others.

Cancer Research Award for best research publication in 2000 published in Cancer Nursing, 23(6). Cancer Nursing, International Society of Nursing, December, 2000, pg.1.   

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