Abstract
Goals
The aim of this study was to explore the cancer information needs, utilization, and source preferences in South Korean women with cervical cancer.
Patients and methods
This was a multicenter descriptive study comprising 968 cervical cancer patients (stages 0–IVb; mean age, 55 years; response rate, 34.4% of those who agreed to participate) who had been treated from 1983 through 2004 at any of the six South Korean hospitals. The study data were obtained through a mail-in self-response questionnaire that asked about the patients’ cancer information needs, cancer-information-seeking behavior, information sources, and type of information needed. It also collected data about anxiety and depression.
Results
Of the 968 cervical cancer patients, 404 (41.7%) had sought cancer information. When patients felt a need for information, their information-seeking behavior increased (overall risk = 4.053, 95% confidence interval = 2.139–7.680). Television and/or radio were the most frequently cited sources, and narratives about cancer experiences were the most easily understood forms of cancer information. More younger patients preferred booklets and pamphlets, while more older patients preferred television and radio. The most needed cancer information at the time of diagnosis and treatment involved diagnosis, stage, and prognosis while after treatment ended it involved self-care techniques.
Conclusions
Cervical cancer patients’ need of cancer information varied with age and treatment phase. These findings should help guide the development of educational materials tailored to the needs of individual patients.
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Acknowledgments
We thank the clinicians and patients who gave their time to the project. This study was funded by the National Cancer Center (grant nos. 0410030-2, 04101502, 0710190-2, 0860280-1).
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Hang-In Noh and Jong Min Lee contributed equally to this study.
Grant support This study was supported by National Cancer Center grant nos. 0410030-2, 04101502, 0710190-2, and 0860280-1.
The survey was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2007 ASCO Annual Meeting Proceedings, vol. 25, no. 18S (June 20 Supplement), 2007. Abstract title: Cervical cancer patients’ preferences and use of various cancer information sources in South Korea
The survey was published as a 2008 International Union against Cancer meeting abstract. Abstract title: Comparative Study of Cervical Cancer Patients’ Information-Seeking Behaviors, Needs, and Sources of Information in South Korea: Seekers and Nonseekers
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Noh, HI., Lee, J.M., Yun, Y.H. et al. Cervical cancer patient information-seeking behaviors, information needs, and information sources in South Korea. Support Care Cancer 17, 1277–1283 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-009-0581-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-009-0581-y