Health-Related Internet Use Among Men With Prostate Cancer in Canada: Cancer Registry Survey Study

Abstract

BackgroundAfter a prostate cancer diagnosis, men want information about their disease and treatment options. The internet offers a convenient means to deliver health information to patients with prostate cancer. However, there are concerns about the use of the internet among this largely senior population.ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the patterns and factors associated with the use of the internet as a source of health information among Canadian men with prostate cancer and the features and information required in a website.MethodsPopulation surveys were conducted in four Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario) in 2014-2015. Data analyses included descriptive, bivariable, and multivariable analyses. The Pearson Chi-square and univariable regression were used to examine associations between independent variables and health-related internet use. Correlates of health-related internet use were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression.ResultsA total of 1362 patients responded across the four provinces. The mean age of respondents was 69 years (SD 8.2). In addition, 82% (n=1071) were internet users and 71% (n=910) used the internet daily. Further, 65% (n=784) used the internet as a source of prostate cancer information, and 40% (n=521) were confident about using information obtained from the internet to make health decisions. Men who used the internet to obtain prostate cancer information were more likely to be active information seekers (odds ratio [OR]: 4.5, 95% CI 2.6-7.8), be confident using information from the internet to make health decisions (OR: 3.6, 95% CI 2.3-5.7), have broadband internet access (OR: 1.8, 95% CI 1.2-2.7), and have more unmet supportive care needs (OR: 1.05, 95% CI 1.0-1.1). Top features wanted in a website, reported by more than 50% of respondents, were a library of resources (n=893, 65.6%), tools to support treatment decision making (n=815, 59.8%), and tools to help navigate the prostate cancer journey (n=698, 51.2%). Top three topics of information wanted in such a website were treatment options (n=916, 67.3%), disease progression (n=904, 66.4%), and management of side effects (n=858, 63%).ConclusionsOver two-thirds of Canadian patients with prostate cancer surveyed use the internet as a source of health information about prostate cancer, but over half did not feel confident using information from the internet to make health decisions. Being an active information seeker, having confidence in using information from the internet to make health decisions, having broadband internet, and having more unmet supportive care needs were significantly associated with health-related internet use. Future work should examine electronic health literacy interventions as a means to boost men’s confidence in using information from the internet and design websites that include information and features that help men navigate the prostate cancer journey and support treatment decision making and management of side effects.

The Correlation of Online Health Information Seeking Experience with the Health Related Quality of Life: A Cross-sectional Study among Iranian Female Students

“…Health information is obtained from various sources. The Internet is an attractive and common source of health information today [16,28,31]. The use of the internet to access health information has increased in recent years due to the reasons such as accessibility, high volume of information disseminated trough that, confidentiality, low cost, multi-media capabilities and the ability to interact and to gain support [24,27,32].…”

“…It has dramatically changed information behavior from passive information receiving from statistic sources such as books to active information seeking from dynamic and user-contributed sources such as online blogs and forums [14]. Internet provides an easy and cost-effective source of health information for peoples [15,16]. Using internet for healthrelated applications is so widespread that it said searching health information has become the most common use of this technology [1, 3,17].…”

Patients’ Convergence of Mass and Interpersonal Communication on an Online Forum: Hybrid Methods Analysis

“…Many patients decide to combine multiple sources to fulfill their needs. Generally, 25% to 83% of patients search for online health information before or after a consultation with their medical expert [ 33 - 36 ]. Patients seem to use online health information in addition to a consultation to prepare themselves [ 13 ], to complement the information given by the medical expert [ 13 , 24 , 25 ], as well as to validate or challenge the information given by the medical expert [ 13 ].…”

The Internet as a Route to Health Information, Support, and Healthcare for Cancer Survivors

“…14,16 In contrast, in a population-based study of prostate cancer survivors in Canada, age, education, and income did not play a significant role in determining health-related Internet use when other factors were considered. 18 Instead, being an active information seeker, having higher eHealth confidence, and broadband access were the strongest determinants of health-related Internet use. 18 Notably, Dee et al 4 found that cancer survivors who were very dissatisfied with their healthcare were 78% more likely to use the Internet as a health information source when compared with those who were satisfied and that this association was greater among women.…”

“…18 Instead, being an active information seeker, having higher eHealth confidence, and broadband access were the strongest determinants of health-related Internet use. 18 Notably, Dee et al 4 found that cancer survivors who were very dissatisfied with their healthcare were 78% more likely to use the Internet as a health information source when compared with those who were satisfied and that this association was greater among women. Previous research has shown that women tend to be less satisfied with their healthcare 19,20 and more likely to seek health information on the internet than men.…”