Objectives:~The overall goal of this protocol is to develop and refine an educational tool for use by patients and health-care providers to help men with localized prostate cancer make informed decisions about discontinuation of active surveillance.~Conduct cognitive and initial usability and acceptability testing of a prototype decision aid with patients~Conduct cognitive and initial usability and acceptability testing of a prototype decision aid with care partners/caregivers~Conduct expert reviews of a prototype decision aid with clinicians
This protocol describes development and user testing of an educational shared decision making intervention to help men with prostate cancer who are on active surveillance make decisions with their health care providers about if and when to de-escalate surveillance testing. The project is important because for many patients their cancer does not progress to the point of needed curative treatment or their health status changes such that they are no longer good candidates for treatment. For these men, de-escalating ongoing surveillance (e.g., fewer biopsies or imaging studies) is a reasonable option.