A new study from JAMA Oncology found older patients would rather be advised on other health issues and guidelines rather than being told they may not live long enough to benefit from colonoscopies, Reuters Health reported.
The researchers assessed 1,272 patients, ages 65 and older, about their preferences for 13 different phrases a clinician might use to explain why a patient shouldn’t have a routine screening test for breast, prostate or colorectal cancer. Only the words “mammogram,” “prostate-specific antigen,” or “colonoscopy” differed between phrases for each disease.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. For colonoscopies, the phrases preferred the most were:
• "Your other health issues should take priority"
• “Colonoscopy is not recommended for you by medical guidelines”
2. The least liked phrases were:
• “You may not live long enough to benefit from the colonoscopy"
• "The doctor does not mention colonoscopy."
3. "Patients mentioned it would be helpful for clinicians to discuss what alternative health issues would be focused on instead of cancer screening so as to not feel like they were receiving less care," said researcher Nancy L. Schoenborn, MD, of Baltimore-based The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in an email to Reuters Health.