Cover: Primary Care Physician Practices in the Diagnosis, Treatment and Management of Men with Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

Primary Care Physician Practices in the Diagnosis, Treatment and Management of Men with Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

Published in: Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases, v. 12, no. 3, Sep. 2009, p. 288-295

Posted on RAND.org on January 01, 2009

by Elizabeth A. Calhoun, J. Quentin Clemens, Mark Litwin, Elizabeth Walker-Corkery, Talar Markossian, John W. Kusek, Mary McNaughton-Collins

To describe practice patterns of primary care physicians (PCPs) for the diagnosis, treatment and management of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS), the authors surveyed 556 PCPs in Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles (RR=52%). Only 62% reported ever seeing a patient like the one described in the vignette. In all, 16% were 'not at all' familiar with CP/CPPS, and 48% were 'not at all' familiar with the National Institutes of Health classification scheme. PCPs reported practice patterns regarding CP/CPPS, which are not supported by evidence. Although studies suggest that CP/CPPS is common, many PCPs reported little or no familiarity, important knowledge deficits and limited experience in managing men with this syndrome.

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