Abstract:
Background: There is limited understanding of the prostate and its disorders
among the aging males who suffer the condition. Healthcare workers are also not
adequately trained to teach patients on prostatism. This paper presents a teaching
protocol on prostatism based on patient educational and health seeking
behaviour. A pilot study yielded good outcomes on understanding the prostate
and its disorders.
Objective: To develop and pretest a teaching protocol on prostatism
Design: An interventional approach following a cross-sectional study on patient
educational and health seeking behaviour.
Setting: The Urology Clinic of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret-
Kenya.
Subjects: One hundred and twenty-six consenting men aged 50 years and above
presenting with prostatism.
Results: Forty-six percent of the patients had no formal education and 55.9% of
those who went to school had less than or equal to 7years of primary education. A
quarter of the patients (25.4%) were aware of the prostate and its disorders. There
was co-morbidity and complication rates of 23.8% and 7.1% respectively. Those
taught using the protocol had varied levels of understanding that improved with
higher levels of formal education. All the patients, irrespective of education level,
considered themselves empowered by the teaching to lead better life.
Conclusion: This Teaching Protocol on Prostatism can educate patients with
prostatism to understand the prostate, its disorders and basis for symptoms as
well as empowering them to have better urological health.
