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Sifting Through It All: Characterizing Melanoma Patients’ Utilization of the Internet as an Information Source

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Abstract

This study describes how melanoma patients used the Internet as a melanoma information source and how it impacted their clinical encounter and treatment decision. From 2010 to 2013, melanoma patients were invited to complete a 23-question paper survey with open- and close-ended questions. Thirty-one of the 62 patients approached completed the survey. The majority (90 %) of respondents used the Internet as a melanoma information source. Most (90 %) had used the search engine Google. The most commonly searched topics were melanoma treatment (96 %), screening (64 %), and prevention (64 %). While most respondents (85 %) found the Internet was a useful melanoma information source, over half (54 %) found melanoma websites at least somewhat difficult to understand. Many (78 %) believed it increased their understanding of their diagnosis, 71 % thought it influenced their treatment decision, and 59 % felt it impacted their specialist consultation. This study informs health care professionals that many melanoma patients search the Internet for information regarding their diagnosis and that it may impact their disease understanding and treatment decisions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Sarah Nicole Hamilton, Elena P Scali, Irene Yu, Eva Gusnowski & Paris-Ann Ingledew

  2. Department of Radiation Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Agency—Vancouver Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Sarah Nicole Hamilton

  3. Department of Radiation Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Agency—Fraser Valley Centre, 13750 96th Ave, Surrey, BC, Canada

    Paris-Ann Ingledew

  4. Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Elena P Scali

Authors
  1. Sarah Nicole Hamilton
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  2. Elena P Scali
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  3. Irene Yu
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  4. Eva Gusnowski
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  5. Paris-Ann Ingledew
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Correspondence to Paris-Ann Ingledew.

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Hamilton, S.N., Scali, E.P., Yu, I. et al. Sifting Through It All: Characterizing Melanoma Patients’ Utilization of the Internet as an Information Source. J Canc Educ 30, 580–584 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-014-0711-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-014-0711-1

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