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How Do Cancer Patients Navigate the Public Information Environment? Understanding Patterns and Motivations for Movement Among Information Sources

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Abstract

Little is known about how patients move among information sources to fulfill unmet needs. We interviewed 43 breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer patients. Using a grounded theory approach, we identified patterns and motivations for movement among information sources. Overall, patients reported using one source (e.g., newspaper) followed by the use of another source (e.g., Internet), and five key motivations for such cross-source movement emerged. Patients’ social networks often played a central role in this movement. Understanding how patients navigate an increasingly complex information environment may help clinicians and educators to guide patients to appropriate, high-quality sources.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the patients who participated in this study. We also thank additional members of the research team, including Sandy Schwartz, Katrina Armstrong, Angela DeMichele, Annice Kim, and Norman Wong. Thanks to Megan Kasimatis Singleton for her assistance with logistical details. Lastly, thanks to personnel at the Pennsylvania Cancer Registry for their assistance in providing registry data. The Pennsylvania Department of Health specifically disclaims responsibility for any analyses, interpretations, or conclusions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Excellence in Cancer Communication Research, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, 3620 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Rebekah H. Nagler, Anca Romantan, Bridget J. Kelly, Robin S. Stevens, Stacy W. Gray, Shawnika J. Hull, A. Susana Ramirez & Robert C. Hornik

  2. Department of Communication, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA

    Anca Romantan

  3. Research Triangle Institute, Washington, DC, USA

    Bridget J. Kelly

  4. Center for Health Behavior and Communication Research, Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

    Robin S. Stevens

  5. Center for Outcomes and Policy Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, USA

    Stacy W. Gray

Authors
  1. Rebekah H. Nagler
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  2. Anca Romantan
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  3. Bridget J. Kelly
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  4. Robin S. Stevens
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  6. Shawnika J. Hull
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  7. A. Susana Ramirez
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  8. Robert C. Hornik
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rebekah H. Nagler.

Additional information

Anca Romantan; Deceased, April 14, 2008

The authors wish to acknowledge the funding support of the National Cancer Institute’s Center of Excellence in Cancer Communication (CECCR) located at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania (P50-CA095856-05). This publication’s contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Cancer Institute.

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Nagler, R.H., Romantan, A., Kelly, B.J. et al. How Do Cancer Patients Navigate the Public Information Environment? Understanding Patterns and Motivations for Movement Among Information Sources. J Canc Educ 25, 360–370 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-010-0054-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-010-0054-5

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