In:
Journal of Clinical Oncology, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Vol. 36, No. 7_suppl ( 2018-03-01), p. 71-71
Abstract:
71 Background: Social media and internet is increasingly used by patients for cancer education, which can affect provider-patient communication. Usage habits of the adolescent-young adult (AYA; aged 〈 40 years), adult (age 40- 〈 65 years), and geriatric cancer populations (age 65+ years) are likely different. Methods: Using age-specific sampling, cancer patients across all disease sites cross-sectionally were asked to complete a survey of demographics, health status, and social media/online resource use for cancer education. Clinical information was abstracted. Results: Of 429 approached, 320 participated (126 AYA, 128 adults, 66 elderly). Males comprised 44%; 72% had post-secondary education; 31% had household incomes of 〉 $100,000. Elderly patients were most likely to refuse participation (33% of elderly approached vs 16% AYA; p 〈 0.001), with the most common reason being "I do not use internet resources/don't plan on using them"(96% of all elderly refusals with available data). Among respondents, the proportion who utilized the internet for cancer education was 76%, 76% and 70% in AYA, adults, and elderly, respectively (p 〉 0.5). The use of social media tools in respondents was 49%, 40%, and 36%, respectively (p = 0.16 across age groups). While 75% of patients felt they could judge the quality of cancer-related information on the internet (no differences by age group, p 〉 0.5), a significantly lower 43% (p 〈 0.001) felt similarly confident to judge the quality of social media; AYA patients (49%) were numerically more likely to feel confident than seniors (36%; p = 0.16). Elderly were less likely to want online health record access (p = 0.015), treatment option (p = 0.042) and side effect education (p 〈 0.001), future care plan (p 〈 0.001) and wellness programs compared to others (p 〈 0.001). Conclusions: Although cancer patients used social media frequently, confidence is lacking on the quality of cancer information obtained (across all age groups), while elderly perceive fewer benefits of using online/social media related to their cancer. Guidelines for patients on how to assess quality and appropriately use social media could help facilitate patient-provider communication.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0732-183X
,
1527-7755
DOI:
10.1200/JCO.2018.36.7_suppl.71
Language:
English
Publisher:
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
Publication Date:
2018
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2005181-5
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