01-16-2008, 12:39 PM
A 67-year-old man presents at his physician complaining of discomfort in his lower abdomen and difficulty with urination. The man is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 220 pounds. Although he used to smoke cigarettes, he was able to quit when he retired at age 65. Physical examination reveals an enlarged prostate. Suspecting the possibility of cancer, the physician orders a PSA test and tells the patient he will be contacted when the results are available. The patient
is visibly upset at hearing the word "cancer" and in spite of the physician's reassurances of the low probability of malignancy, is physically shaking when he leaves the office. Several days latter the
results of the test are received. The patient has a PSA of 3.5, elevated, but below the commonly used screening test cutoff. At this point the physician's best course of action would be to do which of the following?
A. Arrange an appointment to talk with the patient in the next several days and review the results in person.
B. Call the patient at once to deliver the news and offer guidance.
C. Call the patient to deliver the news and congratulate him on his overall health.
D. Call the patient to deliver the news and schedule the patient for a follow-up appointment to review what he can do to improve his overall health.
E. Have the nurse employed by the practice call the patient to deliver the news and take time to answer any questions he may have.
F. Schedule an appointment to talk to the patient about the results and offer him a referral for counseling
G. Send the patient a letter detailing the test results and suggesting the next course of action.
is visibly upset at hearing the word "cancer" and in spite of the physician's reassurances of the low probability of malignancy, is physically shaking when he leaves the office. Several days latter the
results of the test are received. The patient has a PSA of 3.5, elevated, but below the commonly used screening test cutoff. At this point the physician's best course of action would be to do which of the following?
A. Arrange an appointment to talk with the patient in the next several days and review the results in person.
B. Call the patient at once to deliver the news and offer guidance.
C. Call the patient to deliver the news and congratulate him on his overall health.
D. Call the patient to deliver the news and schedule the patient for a follow-up appointment to review what he can do to improve his overall health.
E. Have the nurse employed by the practice call the patient to deliver the news and take time to answer any questions he may have.
F. Schedule an appointment to talk to the patient about the results and offer him a referral for counseling
G. Send the patient a letter detailing the test results and suggesting the next course of action.