Differences in What Men with Prostate Cancer Look for in a Treating Specialist
| Theme | Representative Quote | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Patients (n = 10) | N (%) | ||
| Experience | Experience level | “ … you want somebody that's done as many as you can find that seems like an okay guy because there's nothing like experience, and in surgery … So I had two doctors who had done thousands of these things.” | 7 (70%) |
| Reputation | Reputation of doctor | “I wanted to see the best person at [hospital] for the radiology. And obviously, it was the head of radiology. So, that's the reason I chose him. And it was a good choice … He was extremely good in his field.” | 8 (80%) |
| Research | “I wanted to be with a hospital that was up-to-date in the latest procedures, technologies, diagnostics, and I thought that both hospitals had that.” | 2 (20%) | |
| Bedside Manner | Bedside manner | “I was happy when [my specialist] was very open and communicative. His communication skills were excellent … he said, prepare your questions. I'll answer any–all your questions.” | 6 (60%) |
| Partially Active Patients (n = 25) | N (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Experience | Experience level | “Well, we looked him up on the internet. He got good patient ratings. And we had an initial meeting with him, and we felt we had a good rapport with him. We were comfortable with the way he laid things out, with his experience–he'd done 4000 of these kinds of surgeries.” | 9 (36%) |
| Reputation | Reputation of facility | “Well, one thing I look for in a doctor is where they work … one reason I like [this hospital] is because it's a teaching hospital … since this is a teaching hospital, most of the physicians are up to the moment with current trends and discoveries in the medical fields … ” | 8 (32%) |
| Bedside Manner | Bedside manner | “Gee, you know I guess just competence, somebody who gives you the feeling that they care. Like I said, I like somebody who spends a little bit of time with you. Like when I went to that urologist I felt like I was on the treadmill, an assembly line. When I got out of there, I bet nobody gets out of here without getting biopsy or another appointment.” | 12 (48%) |
| Trustworthy | Trustworthy | “He didn't beat around the bush. You know what I mean? He more or less told you what was gonna happen, and that's what happened.” | 9 (36%) |
| Passive Patients (n = 12) | N (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Experience | Experience level | “[My doctor] has been in this business for a long time, so. That's why I really went to him.” | 2 (16.7%) |
| Bedside Manner | Bedside manner | “Well, I like a doctor that I can sit down and talk to … a doctor who'll spend a little time with you … That is something that's important to me. Somebody I can talk to.” | 6 (50%) |
| Trustworthy | Trustworthy | “Well, see I didn't know the difference between either doctor but, after he told me what he does and done this, I had everything in my heart to trust him … I felt safe and secure right … I never had a problem or anything, so I felt good.” | 5 (41.6%) |