Online information and support needs of women with advanced breast cancer: A qualitative analysis
Authors
Kemp, EmmaKoczwara, Bogda
Butow, Phyllis N.
Turner, Jane
Girgis, Afaf
Schofield, Penelope
Hulbert-Williams, Nicholas J.
Levesque, Janelle V.
Spence, Danielle
Vatandoust, Sina
Kichenadasse, Ganessan
Roy, Amitesh
Sukumaran, Shawgi
Karapetis, Christos S.
Richards, Caroline
Fitzgerald, Michael
Beatty, Lisa
Affiliation
Flinders University; Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer; University of Sydney; University of Queensland; University of New South Wales; Swinburne University of Technology; University of Chester; Breast Cancer Network AustraliaPublication Date
2018-04-24
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Purpose: Women with advanced breast cancer (ABC) face significant adjustment challenges, yet few resources provide them with information and support, and attendance barriers can preclude access to face to face psychosocial support. This paper reports on two qualitative studies examining (i) whether information and support-seeking preferences of women with ABC could be addressed in an online intervention, and (ii) how an existing intervention for patients with early stage cancer could be adapted for women with ABC. Methods: Women with ABC participated in telephone interviews about their information and support- seeking preferences (N = 21) and evaluated an online intervention focused on early-stage cancer (N = 15). Interviews were transcribed and underwent thematic analysis using the framework method to identify salient themes. Results: Participants most commonly sought medical, lifestyle-related, and practical information/support; however, when presented with an online intervention, participants most commonly gave positive feedback on content on coping with emotional distress. Difficulty finding information and barriers to using common sources of information/support including health professionals, family and friends, and peers were reported; however, some women also reported not wanting information or support. All participants evaluating the existing intervention gave positive feedback on various components, with results suggesting an online intervention could be an effective means of providing information/support to women with ABC, given improved specificity/relevance to ABC and increased tailoring to individuals circumstances and preferences. Conclusions: Adaptation of an existing online intervention for early stage cancer appears a promising avenue to address the information and support needs of women with ABC.Citation
Kemp, E., et al. (2018). Online information and support needs of women with advanced breast cancer: A qualitative analysis. Supportive Care in Cancer, 26(10), 3489-3496.Publisher
SpringerJournal
Supportive Care in CancerAdditional Links
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00520-018-4206-1Type
ArticleLanguage
enEISSN
1433-7339ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1007/s00520-018-4206-1
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- Creative Commons
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/