excerpt: Erol Onel, M.D. Videos of prostate cancer treatment alternatives benefit both physicians and patients When physicians show men with prostate cancer a standardized video presentation on treatment alternatives for their condition prior to the doctor's discussion of these alternatives, patients appear to benefit.  Patients gain a better understanding of the risks and benefits of various treatment approaches. Also, the doctor can then focus on risk-benefit tradeoffs of treatments rather than merely describing them when talking to the patient. In addition, these videos can be incorporated into busy medical office practices, concludes a study supported by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (HS08397). During 1994 and 1995, the Prostate Patient Outcomes Research Team, in a substudy led by Peter Albertsen, M.D., M.S., at the University of Connecticut, showed 111 men with newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer a videotape about the risks and benefits of four treatment options: radical surgery, external beam radiation, hormonal therapy, and watchful waiting. The researchers assessed the usefulness of the video by having each patient complete a questionnaire before and after viewing the video and again following a discussion with his treating physician. Upon entering the physicians' offices, 56 percent of men felt they had only a fair or poor knowledge of prostate cancer or its treatment options. After viewing the video, only 6 percent felt this way; 80 percent felt they had a good or very good understanding (compared with 38 percent before), and 14 percent felt they had an excellent understanding (versus 6 percent before). Followup discussion with their personal physicians further increased patients' knowledge. The final survey showed 40 percent of patients felt they had an excellent understanding and 55 percent a good or very good understanding of prostate cancer and its treatment options. Also, 75 to 84 percent of patients felt they participated "a lot" in the treatment decision, and 93 percent were satisfied with their decision. view the full report at www.dartmouthatlas.org "Assessment of the feasibility and impact of shared decision making in prostate cancer," by Erol Onel, M.D., Cristina Hammond, B.A., John H. Wasson, M.D., and others, in Urology 51(1), pp. 63-66, 1998.