Internet increases patient confidence

Newly-diagnosed cancer patients who use the internet to learn more about the disease have a more positive outlook, a new study says.

Researchers from Temple University in Philadelphia recruited patients who called a helpline funded by the US National Cancer Institute, where trained specialists answered questions about the disease and directed callers to cancer-related resources in their area.

Once selected, the 442 participants were broken into direct user, indirect user and non-user categories based on their internet usage patterns.

Direct and indirect users tended to be females between the ages of 50 and 60 who had graduated from college and made more than US$60,000 a year.

During the survey, lead researcher Dr Sarah Bass and her colleagues began to see strong parallels between internet use and the patients' feelings about their treatment.

Those who used the Internet and those who received Internet information from family members or friends were more likely to view their relationship with their doctors as a partnership, and were more comfortable asking questions and challenging treatment alternatives.

"They saw the Internet as a powerful tool that enhanced their decision-making ability," Dr Bass said.

Moreover, Dr Bass and her team were surprised by the number of early non-users who after eight weeks turned to the internet for information.

When asked about the change, approximately 75 per cent said that either family/friend encouragement or the cancer diagnosis itself prompted them to increase their Web usage.

"They didn't want to feel powerless or have to rely on the doctor to make all of the decisions," explained Dr Bass.

She added that now is the time for doctors and health workers to encourage patients to do their own research on the Web.

"But as with most things, let the buyer beware. Stick to Web sites that are associated with large, well-recognised non-profit groups, or get recommendations from your physician."

The study was published in the March 2006 issue of the Journal of Health Communication.

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