Question

You are a medical assistant (CCMA) working for urologist Phillip Johnson, MS, in the Urology Clinic at Fulwood Medical Center. You are communicating with Mr. Roald Detrick, a 60-year-old-man, who has been referred to the Urology Clinic.

Patient Interview: Mr. Detrick complains of having to get out of bed to urinate four or five times at night. He has difficulty starting urination, has a weak stream, and feels he is not emptying his bladder completely. He has lost interest in sex. His physical examination is unremarkable except that a digital rectal examination (DRE) reveals a diffusely enlarged prostate with no nodules.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are Mr. Detrick’s complaints?
2. What does the abbreviation ‘DRE’ mean?
3. What did Mr. Detrick’s DRE reveal?
4. What is a nodule?

Answer 1

Mr Derrick's complaints about his difficulty of starting urination and having to urinate 5 or 6 times at night and has a feeling of not emptying his bladder completely and has weak stream and he completely lost interest in intercourse.

2) The abbreviation of DRE is Digital Rectal Examination.

DRE is a test done to lower pelvic,rectum and belly so that the healthcare provider can know the problem of the patient health and to know if he has any cancer(Prostate).

3)It revealed that the patient and enlarged prostate which is mostly seen in older age.

4)Abnormal growth of cells is called nodule.But here the patient in his DRE test reveled no nodule so he does not have prostate cancer.

If nodule is found then there is higher chance of patient is suffering from prostate cancer.And if the nodule is non cancerous then it is formed because of infection or inflammation.