Table 3.
Multinomial Logistic Regression Analysis of Screening Beliefs Indicators Predicting Clinical Practice Style for Prostate Cancer Screening
| Discuss, Let Patient Decide vs Screen Without Discussion | Discuss, Let Patient Decide vs Discuss, Recommend Screening | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beliefs Indicatorsa | ORb | PValue | ORb | PValue |
| The benefits of prostate cancer screening outweigh the risks | – | – | 0.269 | .009 |
| There is clear evidence that prostate cancer screening saves lives | – | – | 0.092 | .012 |
| The scientific evidence does not support routine screening for prostate cancer | 3.628 | .046 | 2.713 | .040 |
| Patients should be told that it has yet to be proved that prostate cancer screening saves | 6.073 | .003 | – | – |
| Patients have a right to know the implications of prostate cancer screening before they are screened | 10.535 | .015 | – | – |
| There is no need to educate patients about prostate cancer screening because in general they want to be screened | 0.122 | .001 | – | – |
| Not ordering a PSA test puts a physician at risk for malpractice liability | – | – | 0.271 | .025 |
OR = odds ratio.
Effects are adjusted for years in practice, sex of physician, and academically affiliated practice. Dashes are used for nonsignificant beliefs indicators.
Belief indicators are scored as endorsed (ie, agree or strongly agree) or not endorsed (neutral, disagree, or strongly disagree).
Interpreted as the ratio of the odds of endorsing a belief indicator among physicians who reported a prostate cancer screening practice style of discuss, let patient decide vs the odds of endorsing the same belief indicator among physicians who reported the practice style of screen without discussion (first column) or discuss, recommend screening (second column).