Knowledge Acquisition and Social Support in Online Health Communities: Analysis of an Online Ovarian Cancer Community (Preprint)

Expression of patient and caregiver uncertainty in view of decision-making in online health communities

OBJECTIVES

On the backdrop of the current debate on shared-decision making in healthcare, we are interested in understanding how uncertainty is managed when patients and/or their caregivers resort to online health communities (OHCs) for advice regarding decisions on aspects of the disease they are not fully sure of. More specifically, we present initial results concerning the expression of uncertainty in OHCs regarding decisions that have to be made about a specific illness. Our goal is to observe how patients and/or their caregivers express uncertainty regarding information they received from specialists. This can help us understand how non-experts try to cope with information they do not fully understand.

METHODS

Based on a collection of interactional data taken from two Italian OHCs, our analysis focuses on the sequences in which someone asks for advice on a certain line of action and obtains an answer. We follow a mainly qualitative approach, which includes case-based qualitative analyses. More specifically, we observe uses and functions of some lexical items (evidentemente (lit., evidently), teoricamente (lit., theoretically)) and syntactic structures (specifically clauses containing the verb dire (to say)) that convey a sense of uncertainty in relation to information provided by others.

RESULTS

Our results show different types of uncertainty, providing insights into the effort non-experts make in dealing with expert knowledge and unclear situations determined by the illness and its management.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE

Our results can be used to improve healthcare professionals' training regarding their role as mediators between specialized and everyday knowledge.

Women with ovarian cancer's information seeking and avoidance behaviors: an interview study

Objectives

Despite the importance of using information for ovarian cancer (OvCa) disease management and decision-making, some women with OvCa do not actively seek out information. The purpose of this study is to investigate factors that influence information seeking behaviors and information avoidance behaviors and information resources among women with OvCa and their caregivers.

Materials and methods

We conducted in-depth interviews with OvCa patients or caregivers of OvCa (n = 20) and employed deductive and inductive coding methodologies for analysis.

Results

Our analysis revealed 5 emerging themes associated with active information seeking behavior, 5 themes of passive information acquisition, and 4 themes of information avoidance behavior. Additionally, we identified participants' preferred information sources for OvCa management, such as health organization or government operated resources and web-based social groups.

Discussion

To enhance information access, strategies should be developed to motivate people with OvCa to seek rather than avoid information. The study emphasizes the significance of promoting patient-provider communication and leveraging strong social support networks for effective information acquisition.

Conclusion

Our findings provide valuable implications for clinical practice and policymaking, emphasizing the need to improve access to information for individuals with OvCa. By addressing the identified factors influencing information seeking behaviors, healthcare professionals and policymakers can better support patients and caregivers in their information-seeking journey, ultimately enhancing disease management and decision-making outcomes.