The following is a summary of “Clinician Interest in clinical decision support for PSA-based prostate cancer screening,” published in the March 2023 issue of Urologic Oncology by Harper et al.

To assess the level of interest among primary care clinicians in utilizing clinical decision support (CDS) for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening. Available evidence shows that the implementation of electronic clinical decision support (CDS) may result in a reduction of low-value prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing. However, the prevailing sentiments of physicians regarding clinical decision support (CDS) for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening remain largely undisclosed. Therefore, a questionnaire was distributed to 201 primary care clinicians, comprising physicians and Advanced Practice Providers (APP), within a vast academic health system. Clinicians who qualify have provided medical attention to male patients between the ages of 40 to 80 years and have requested a minimum of five prostate-specific antigens (PSA) tests within the previous year. 

The participants were categorized into three groups, appropriate screeners, low-value screeners, or rare screeners, based on their responses to survey questions that evaluated their PSA screening practices. The enthusiasm towards electronic clinical decision support (CDS) was assessed using a composite Likert scale incorporating pertinent survey elements. The survey’s response rate was 29%, with 59 out of 201 participants. The respondents comprised 85% MD/DO and 15% APP. All surveyed clinicians expressed interest in clinical decision support (CDS) with a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.001. There were no significant differences observed between the various screener groups. 

The consensus among healthcare professionals is that clinical decision support (CDS) should be grounded in empirical evidence. There was a difference of opinion among healthcare providers regarding the potential impact of Clinical Decision Support (CDS) on the exercise of professional judgment in patient care. Primary care practitioners are keenly interested in clinical decision support (CDS) for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening, irrespective of their current screening protocols. The prioritization of clinical decision support (CDS) features valued by clinicians, such as the assurance that CDS recommendations are based on evidence, can enhance the probability of successful implementation. However, the perceived threat to autonomy may impede the utilization of CDS.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1078143922004744