The Quality of Patient Information Booklets for Cancer Patients-an Evaluation of Free Accessible Material in German Language

According to the information-seeking behaviors of patients, booklets which can be downloaded from the Internet for free are an important source of information notably for patients with cancer. This study investigated whether information booklets for patients with cancer available at German websites are in accordance with the formal and content criteria of evidence-based information. We compared and compiled both content and formal criteria by matching different national and international standards for written patient information using a merged instrument. A catalog with a total of 16 items within 4 categories (quality of the publication, quality of information, quality of information representation, and transparency) was created. Patient information booklets for the most frequent tumor types were collected from the Internet. A total of 52 different patient booklets were downloaded and assessed. Overall, no booklet fulfilled all criteria. The quality of the publications was evaluated with an average value of 1.67 while the quality of the information had a mean value of 1.45, and the quality of information presentation had a similar rating (1.39). The transparency criteria were evaluated as lowest with an average of 1.07. In summary, German booklets for cancer patients have some shortcomings concerning formal and content criteria for evidence-based patient information. The applied requirement catalog is suitable for wide use and may help in quality assurance of health information. It may be used as part of an obligatory external evaluation, which could help improving the quality of health information.

Effect of ballroom dancing on the well-being of cancer patients: Report of a pilot project

The present study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of ballroom dancing for patients with cancer and their partners, and develop a simple method for assessing its effects on the patients' well-being. A total of 11 pairs (14 patients and 8 healthy partners) participated. Participation was open, and there were no restrictions in terms of the type of cancer, treatment or comorbidities. An anonymous standardized questionnaire allowing participants to rate their well-being on a visual analogue scale (VAS) from 1 to 10 was used. This rating was repeated at defined time points over 1 week. No adverse events occurred during the study, and the teaching methods appeared to be feasible for the patients. The well-being of all patients remained stable or increased during the class, and returned to the initial level within the following days. A total of 3 patients with a low well-being rating prior to class experienced a strong improvement during the class, which continued until the last day of observation for 2 patients. These results confirm the effectiveness of a VAS-based method for the evaluation of ballroom dancing in patients with different types of cancer undergoing different treatments, and its positive effect on the patients' well-being.

Ballroom dancing as physical activity for patients with cancer: a systematic review and report of a pilot project

BACKGROUND

Physical activity has positive effects on cancer patients. Dancing addresses diverse bio-psycho-social aspects. Our aim was to assess the evidence on ballroom dancing and to develop the setting for a pilot project.

METHODS

We performed a systematic review, extracted the data and designed a pilot training based on standard curricula. We included cancer patients during or after therapy. Training duration was 90 min with one regular pause and individual pauses as needed.

RESULTS

We retrieved two systematic reviews and six controlled studies. Types of dancing varied. Only one study used ballroom dancing. Dance training might improve well-being, physical fitness, fatigue and coping during and after therapy. Yet, evidence is scarce and data to derive the effect size are lacking; 27 patients and their partners took part in the pilot training. Patients and partners needed more time to learn the steps than is planned in regular ballroom classes. Participants were very satisfied with the adaptation of the training to their physical strength and estimated the training in a sheltered group. No side effects occurred. In spite of a high rate of participants reporting fatigue, 90 min of physical activity with only a few minutes of rest were manageable for all participants.

CONCLUSION

Ballroom dancing may offer benefits for patients with respect to quality of life. Cancer patients prefer sheltered training setting and curricula of regular ballroom classes must be adapted for cancer patients. Strict curricula might reduce motivation and adherence and exclude patients with lower or variable fitness.

Visualizing risks in cancer communication: A systematic review of computer-supported visual aids

OBJECTIVE

Health websites are becoming important sources for cancer information. Lay users, patients and carers seek support for critical decisions, but they are prone to common biases when quantitative information is presented. Graphical representations of risk data can facilitate comprehension, and interactive visualizations are popular. This review summarizes the evidence on computer-supported graphs that present risk data and their effects on various measures.

METHODS

The systematic literature search was conducted in several databases, including MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL. Only studies with a controlled design were included. Relevant publications were carefully selected and critically appraised by two reviewers.

RESULTS

Thirteen studies were included. Ten studies evaluated static graphs and three dynamic formats. Most decision scenarios were hypothetical. Static graphs could improve accuracy, comprehension, and behavioural intention. But the results were heterogeneous and inconsistent among the studies. Dynamic formats were not superior or even impaired performance compared to static formats.

CONCLUSIONS

Static graphs show promising but inconsistent results, while research on dynamic visualizations is scarce and must be interpreted cautiously due to methodical limitations.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Well-designed and context-specific static graphs can support web-based cancer risk communication in particular populations. The application of dynamic formats cannot be recommended and needs further research.

Information Needs of Cancer Patients and Perception of Impact of the Disease, of Self-Efficacy, and Locus of Control

The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between information needs and cancer patients' perceptions of the impact of the disease, self-efficacy, and locus of control. Using a standardized questionnaire, we obtained data from patients who attended a series of lectures. The questionnaire included questions on their information needs, sources of information, satisfaction with information, and short questionnaires on self-efficacy, perception of the disease, and locus of control of reinforcement. Data was obtained from 185 patients. Our results showed that the sources of information that were most often used were physicians (84 %), print media (68 %), and the Internet (59 %); online fora (7.5 %), non-medical practitioners (9.7 %), and telephone-based counseling (8.6 %) were only used by a minority. Patients with a high perception of their own control over the disease more often used any source of information available to them and were more often interested in acquiring additional information. Higher self-efficacy was significantly associated with the need for information on all topics. Patients with a higher external locus of control significantly more often used sources of information and had significantly more need for additional information. By contrast, there were no associations with an internal locus of control. Neither external nor internal locus of control showed any associations with satisfaction with information. Information needs seem to be higher in patients with a high external locus of control and low self-efficacy. Physicians, other professionals, and institutions that provide information may take these relationships into consideration for tailoring their services to patients.