Reasons why patients reject digital rectal examination when screening for prostate cancer

Perceived Barriers to Prostate Cancer Screenings Among Middle-Aged Men in North-Eastern Germany

“…Our findings are in accordance with the results published so far. They correspond to the finding that 9.6% of men with no or mild urogenital symptoms rejected DRE, while only 1.4% of the men with moderate or severe complaints did so (Romero et al, 2008). Feeling healthy was also one of the most important reasons for women not to attend cervical cancer screenings (Oscarsson, Benzein, & Wijma, 2008) and was also observed for colorectal screenings (Vernon, Acquavella, Yarborough, Hughes, & Thar, 1990).…”

Understanding preventive behaviors among mid-Western African-American men: a pilot qualitative study of prostate screening

“…Aspects pertaining to feelings of shame or a breach of intimacy were reported as an important barrier for not utilizing prostate cancer screenings in our study [38, 66]. For instance, a recent study found that 53% of those accepting DRE reported feelings of shame, while only 15.6% of those accepting PSA reported feelings of shame [79]. It was suggested that cultural variation in the male role might be responsible for some of the divergence in the outcome.…”

Assessing muscle function of the male pelvic floor using real time ultrasound

“…However, this examination can only be performed by clinicians trained in pelvic floor assessment and may be personally invasive for the patient. In a recent study on prostate cancer screening, 8.2% of men rejected the use of a DRE, with shame being the most frequently reported reason 3. Ultrasound may be an alternative to DRE.…”