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Lussiez AD, Burdick S, Kodali S, Rubio G, Mack JA, Lin J, Chang AC, Reddy RM. Internet Usage Trends in Thoracic Surgery Patients and Their Caregivers. JOURNAL OF CANCER EDUCATION : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR CANCER EDUCATION 2017; 32:91-96. [PMID: 26511536 DOI: 10.1007/s13187-015-0934-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
With trends toward increasing patient involvement in medical decision-making, decreasing clinic times, and the availability of the Internet, patients and their caregivers are increasingly researching cancer diagnoses online. It is essential for physicians to understand patient Internet usage as it relates to their own health education. Internet usage trends have been studied in various areas, but not in thoracic diseases. This prospective cohort study surveyed 337 thoracic surgery patients and their caregivers with both cancer and non-cancer diagnoses to examine their Internet usage trends. Cancer subjects were more likely to research their condition online if they were younger, had a higher income, had a higher education level, and were currently employed. Only age and income level were predictive for non-cancer subjects. Separately, cancer subjects were more likely to trust information found on the Internet if they had a higher education. Subjects were most likely to conduct research on a hospital website than other websites. These data will be helpful to thoracic surgeons who want to appropriately educate patients and their caregivers and direct them to reliable Internet sources. These data also illustrate the importance of developing trustworthy hospital websites with disease-specific information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alisha D Lussiez
- University of Michigan Medical School, 1301 Catherine, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Stephanie Burdick
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical Center, 3110 Taubman Center, SPC 5368, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Sindhura Kodali
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Avenue, M696, Box 0110, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Gustavo Rubio
- Department of General Surgery, University of Miami, 1611 Nw 12th Ave Ste 2169, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Jacob A Mack
- University of Michigan Medical School, 1301 Catherine, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Jules Lin
- University of Michigan Medical School, 1301 Catherine, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
- Section of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical Center, Taubman Center, 2120, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Andrew C Chang
- University of Michigan Medical School, 1301 Catherine, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
- Section of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical Center, Taubman Center, 2120, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Rishindra M Reddy
- University of Michigan Medical School, 1301 Catherine, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
- Section of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical Center, Taubman Center, 2120, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
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