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A survey of patient/family use of internet for medical information on cancer.

e16551 Background: Although physicians have been a primary source of information in the past, patients and family members are now looking to other resources, such as the Internet, to gain information. Used by 83% of the US population to look for medical information, the Internet has become more accessible than ever, especially due to advances in technology. The objective of this study was to survey the use of the Internet by patients and their family members for information regarding their cancer diagnosis and treatments. The impact of this information seeking on the patient-physician relationship was also examined.


METHODS
A 22-item anonymous survey was distributed to patients and their family and friends at the outpatient chemotherapy units and the new patient chemotherapy teaching information sessions at a comprehensive cancer centre over a 4-week period between February and March 2010. The study was approved by the IRB. Summary statistics were calculated and non-parametric rank sum tests were used to compare ordinal responses among baseline respondent characteristics.


RESULTS
Of the 203 responses obtained, 74% of the responders were patients and 26% were family or friends who accompanied the patients. 61% of the respondents were male and 39% were female. The mean age was 55 years (17-89). 12% had a graduate degree and 59% had a university/college degree. The majority of those surveyed (87%) had home Internet access. Patients with a higher educational background used and valued their physicians as an information source less than the rest of the respondents and relied on the Internet more (p<0.01). The majority of patients (89.5%) stated that they would ask their physicians about information on the Internet. Older patients, in particular, felt that information obtained from the Internet had a positive impact on their relationship with their physicians. A small proportion of patients (11%) would decline recommended treatment based on the information from the Internet.


CONCLUSIONS
The use of Internet as a primary source of medical information is prevalent among cancer patients as well as amongst their family and friends. The patient-physician relationship from the patient's perspective, however, has not suffered a negative impact.