Talking With a Neighbor About Health Concerns Joe Reynolds is a nurse who works on the surgical unit of a local community hospital. While he works in his yard, a neighbor approaches him and begins to...

Talking With a Neighbor About Health Concerns

Joe Reynolds is a nurse who works on the surgical unit of a local community hospital. While he works in his yard, a neighbor approaches him and begins to chat. After a few minutes of talking about yard maintenance, the neighbor says, “Uh—Joe, do you know much about these PSA tests?” Joe replies, “A bit. Do you have a question about them?” “Well, I went in to see my doctor. He did some tests and said my PSA is too high and I should go see a urologist. What the heck is it anyway and why should I see another doctor?” Joe asks, “What explanation did the doctor give you?” The neighbor replies, “Well, he talked about numbers and said something about cancer and then I don’t remember what else he said.” Knowing that even hearing the word cancer can cause enough stress that a person might not hear the remainder of the doctor’s explanation, Joe decides to do some simple teaching. He explains, “Well, the test means that something is going on in your prostate. It is an important test, but the results can be positive even when you don’t have cancer; other things can cause the readings to be high. However, it really should be checked out so that you get the proper treatment. A urologist specializes in this kind of problem and will do more tests to find out exactly what is going on and then talk to you about whether you need treatment.” The neighbor says, “Thanks, Joe. Guess I should make that appointment.” Joe replies, “Yes, I think you should. Let me know if there is anything I can help with.”