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Changes Over Time in the Utilization of Disease-Related Internet Information in Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer Patients 2007 to 2013

Authors :
Kowalski, Christoph
Kahana, Eva
Kuhr, Kathrin
Ansmann, Lena
Pfaff, Holger
Source :
Journal of Medical Internet Research, Vol 16, Iss 8, p e195 (2014)
Publication Year :
2014
Publisher :
JMIR Publications, 2014.

Abstract

BackgroundAs the number of people with Internet access rises, so does the use of the Internet as a potentially valuable source for health information. Insight into patient use of this information and its correlates over time may reveal changes in the digital divide based on patient age and education. Existing research has focused on patient characteristics that predict Internet information use and research on treatment context is rare. ObjectiveThis study aims to (1) present data on the proportion of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients treated in German breast centers from 2007 to 2013 who used the Internet for information on their disease, (2) look into correlations between Internet utilization and sociodemographic characteristics and if these change over time, and (3) determine if use of Internet information varies with the hospitals in which the patients were initially treated. MethodsData about utilization of the Internet for breast cancer–specific health information was obtained in a postal survey of breast cancer patients that is conducted annually in Germany with a steady response rate of 87% of consenting patients. Data from the survey were combined with data obtained by hospital personnel (eg, cancer stage and type of surgery). Data from 27,491 patients from 7 consecutive annual surveys were analyzed for this paper using multilevel regression modeling to account for clustering of patients in specific hospitals. ResultsBreast cancer patients seeking disease-specific information on the Internet increased significantly from 26.96% (853/3164) in 2007 to 37.21% (1485/3991) in 2013. Similar patterns of demographic correlates were found for all 7 cohorts. Older patients (≥70 years) and patients with

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
14388871
Volume :
16
Issue :
8
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Journal of Medical Internet Research
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.52d56772179a4211895e2c36c6427ef9
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.3289