Information from the Internet: attitudes of Australian oncology patients

Abstract

Information searching is common in ambulatory Australian oncology patients, with the Internet being a frequently used resource. To ensure patients find reliable and relevant information and to minimize the risk of harm, health professionals involved in treating oncology patients should provide guidance in finding information sources and assistance in interpreting the information obtained.

A survey of Internet utilization among patients with cancer

“…We collected information as to whether Internet use influenced patients" decision in the areas of treatment, physician, and participation in clinical trials. One study showed that Internet searching adversely impacted the physician-patient relationship in 8% of surveyed patients [8], while another study did not find any impact [6]. Oncologists are aware of the prevalence of the Internet use by cancer patients, but most of them have neutral or even nihilistic feelings towards it [6,24].…”

“…The most common reason for searching the Internet (52.1%) in our study is to develop questions to discuss with physicians. Indeed, patients do seem to attempt to discuss the acquired information either with local doctors or specialists [8]. This may not be well- [24].…”

“…Patients obtain information about their illness primarily from their health-care providers, but are also increasingly finding health-related information on the Internet [2][3][4]. Several studies have shown that a significant proportion of patients are utilizing the Internet to gather information about their cancer diagnoses, with widely varying estimates of Internet use among patients [5][6][7][8][9][10]. The challenges for medical providers include understanding the prevalence and characteristics of patients using the Internet, reasons for Internet use, the quality of current online resources, and the effectiveness of these websites in providing useful healthrelated information to patients.…”

Internet use by cancer survivors: current use and future wishes

“…Gynecological cancer Internet is increasingly recognized as an important source of information. Several publications have reported the prevalence of internet use as a source of cancer information, recently reporting that 30-50% of patients use the Internet to search for information on their own health [1][2][3][4][5][6]. The percentage of internet users who search for health information has been stable in America over the past years [7].…”

Worldwide Use of Internet-based Survivorship Care Plans

“…[15][16][17] Certain demographic groups of cancer survivors appear to seek information more frequently than others, namely those who are younger (<65 years of age), females, those on higher incomes and those who receive regular healthcare from the same provider(s). 18 Although desire for information and autonomy has been demonstrated to vary with such demographic features as well as with cultural norms, giving survivors worldwide the option to have further information seems universally indicated.…”