Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Pediatric Cancer and the Internet: Exploring the Gap in Doctor-Parents Communication

  • Published:
Journal of Cancer Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the use of the Internet to obtain information by parents of children with cancer and how pediatric oncologists understand this new scenario and the shifting relationship between patients and doctors. With this goal in mind, we conducted two surveys: one was answered by 110 parents of pediatric cancer patients and another one was answered by 74 oncologists, members of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (SEHOP). Less than half of the surveyed parents (44.5 %) looked for information on the Internet, while 55.5 % preferred not to do it. In addition, 87.3 % of the parents explain that their doctors did not recommend any Internet resources. Among the oncologists’ sample, 68.9 % of the respondents did not recommend seeking information on the Internet, but they would consider it desirable for the patients to be guided in the search (82.4 %). These results show some degree of dissent between the parents’ needs and the oncologists’ attitudes. Higher interaction between these two agents would be recommended in order to achieve better information and cooperation in the therapeutic protocols.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Powell JA, Darvell M, Gray JAM (2003) The doctor, the patient and the world-wide web: how the internet is changing healthcare. J R Soc Med 96:74–76

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Yli-Uotila T, Rantanen A, Suominen T (2013) Motives of cancer patients for using the internet to seek social support. Eur J Cancer Care 22:261–271. doi:10.1111/ecc.12025

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Kivits J (2009) Everyday health and the internet: a mediated health perspective on health information seeking. Sociol Health Illn 31:673–687. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9566.2008.01153.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Rutten LJ, Arora NK, Bakos AD, Aziz N, Rowland J (2005) Information needs and sources of information among cancer patients: a systematic review of research (1980-2003). Patient Educ Couns 57:250–261. doi:10.1016/j.pec.2004.06.006

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Ofran Y, Paltiel O, Pelleg D, Rowe J, Yom-Tov E (2012) Patterns of information-seeking for cancer on the Internet: an analysis of real world data. PLoS One 7(9):e45921. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0045921

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Basch EM, Thaler HT, Shi W, Yakren S, Schrag D (2004) Use of information resources by patients with cancer and their companions. Cancer 100:2476–2483. doi:10.1002/cncr.20261

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. James N, Daniels H, Rahman R, McConkey C, Derry J, Young A (2007) A study of information seeking by cancer patients and their carers. Clin Oncol 19:356–362. doi:10.1016/j.clon.2007.02.005

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. López-Gómez M, Ortega C, Suárez I, Serralta G, Madero R, Gómez-Raposo C et al (2012) Internet use by cancer patients: should oncologists ‘prescribe’ accurate web sites in combination with chemotherapy? A survey in a Spanish cohort. Ann Oncol 23:1579–1585. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdr532

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Czaja R, Manfredi C, Price J (2003) The determinants and consequences of information seeking among cancer patients. J Health Commun 8:529–562. doi:10.1080/716100418

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Helft PR, Hlubocky F, Daugherty CK (2003) American oncologists’ views of internet use by cancer patients: a mail survey of American Society of Clinical Oncology members. J Clin Oncol 21:942–947. doi:10.1200/JCO.2003.08.007

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Chen X, Siu LL (2001) Impact of the media and the internet on oncology: survey of cancer patients and oncologist in Canada. J Clin Oncol 19:4291–4297

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Clarke JN, Fletcher P (2003) Communication issues faced by parents who have a child diagnosed with cancer. J Pediatr Oncol Nurs 20(4):175–191. doi:10.1177/1043454203254040

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Walsh MC, Trentham-Dietz A, Schroepfer TA, Reding DJ, Campbell B et al (2010) Cancer information sources used by patients to inform and influence treatment decisions. J Health Commun 15:445–463. doi:10.1080/10810731003753109

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Ryan GW, Bernard HR (2003) Techniques to identify themes. Field Methods 15:85–109. doi:10.1177/1525822X02239569

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Shim M (2008) Connecting Internet use with gaps in cancer knowledge. Health Commun 23:448–461. doi:10.1080/10410230802342143

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Eheman CR, Berkowitz Z, Lee JW, Mohile SG, Purnell J et al (2009) Information-seeking styles among cancer patients before and after treatment by demographics and use of information sources. J Health Commun 14:487–502. doi:10.1080/10810730903032945

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Gage EA, Panagakis C (2012) The devil you know: parents seeking information online for paediatric cancer. SociolHealth Illn 34:444–458. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9566.2011.01386.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Gundersen T (2011) ‘One wants to know what a chromosome is’: the internet as a coping resource when adjusting to life parenting a child with a rare genetic disorder. Sociol Health Illn 33:81–95. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9566.2010.01277.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Schaffer R, Kuczynski K, Skinner D (2008) Producing genetic knowledge and citizenship through the Internet: mothers, pediatric genetics and cybermedicine. Sociol Health Illn 30:45–159. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9566.2007.01042.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Imes RS, Bylund CL, Sabee CM, Routsong TR, Sanford AA (2008) Patient’ reasons for refraining from discussing internet health information with their healthcare providers. Health Commun 23:538–547. doi:10.1080/10410230802460580

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Berland GK, Elliott MN, Morales LS, Algazy JI, Kravitz RL et al (2001) Health information on the Internet. Accessibility, quality and readability in English and Spanish. JAMA 285:2612–2621. doi:10.1001/jama.285.20.2612

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Cline RJ, Haynes KM (2001) Consumer health information seeking on the Internet: the state of the art. Health Educ Res 16:671–692. doi:10.1093/her/16.6.671

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Hargrave DR, Hargrave UA, Bouffet E (2006) Quality of health information on the Internet in pediatric neuro-oncology. Neuro-Oncology 8:175–182. doi:10.1215/15228517-2005-008

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Maddock C, Ahmad K, Lewis I, and Sullivan R (2011) Online information needs of cancer patients and their organizations. ecancer 5: 235. doi: 10.3332/ecancer.2011.235

  25. Patistea E, Babatsikou F (2003) Parent’s perceptions of the information provided to them about their child’s leukaemia. Eur J Oncol Nurs 7:172–181. doi:10.1016/S1462-3889(03)00023-1

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

First of all, the authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions to improve the quality of the paper. They are also grateful to the Valencian Association of Parents of Children with Cancer (ASPANION) and to the Spanish Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (SEHOP), especially to doctor Adela Cañete for contributing to spreading the survey among their colleagues. Finally, they would like to express their gratitude to Dr. Tatiana Pina, Anna Mateu, and Manuel Gil for their valuable comments and help.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Language Theory and Communication Sciences, Faculty of Language Studies, Translation and Communication, University of Valencia, Blasco Ibáñez, 32, 46010, Valencia, Spain

    Martí Domínguez

  2. Mètode, The Two Cultures Observatory, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain

    Lucía Sapiña

Authors
  1. Martí Domínguez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lucía Sapiña
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martí Domínguez.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Domínguez, M., Sapiña, L. Pediatric Cancer and the Internet: Exploring the Gap in Doctor-Parents Communication. J Canc Educ 30, 145–151 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-014-0700-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-014-0700-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation