There is a growing interest in understanding the effect that online information seeking has on patient experiences, empowerment, and interactions with health care providers. This mixed-methods study combines surveys and in-depth interviews with 41 parents of paediatric cancer patients in the US to examine how parents think about, evaluate, access, and use the Internet to seek information related to their child’s cancer. We find that during the acute crisis of a child being diagnosed with cancer parents preferred to receive information related to their child’s diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment options from a trusted health care provider rather than through the Internet. To this end, we find that access to medically related cancer information through the Internet was deemed untrustworthy and frightening. Parents’ reasons for avoiding online information seeking included fear of what they might find out, uncertainty about the accuracy of information online, being overloaded by the volume of information online, and having been told not to go online by oncologists. Some parents also had logistical barriers to accessing the Internet. While most parents did not turn to the Internet as a source of health-related information, many did use the Internet to connect with sources of social support throughout their child’s illness.

Introduction-Several models for survivorship care are prominent within the cancer literature; however, there is little empirical research that examines what oncology clinicians perceive to be the best approach to caring for cancer survivors, what services survivorship programs should include, and how prepared they feel to care for cancer survivors.

This study examines differences in the resources, information, and support parents coping with pediatric cancer accessed from different types of network contacts. Using interviews with parents of childhood cancer patients (N = 80 parents), we examine (1) if parents rely on different types of network ties to access tailored information, resources or support; (2) differences in the nature or utility of information, resources, and support offered by different types of network contacts; and (3) the role of health-related professionals in brokering new network ties. Findings show that after a child’s cancer diagnosis, parents received support from a broad portfolio of network members, which included preexisting network ties to friends and families as well as the formation of new ties to other cancer families and health-related professionals. Family, friends, and neighbors offered logistical support that aided balancing preexisting work and household responsibilities with new obligations. Parents formed new ties to other families coping with cancer for tailored health-related emotional and informational support. Health-related professionals served as network brokers, who fostered the development of new network ties and connected parents with supportive resources.

No abstract

Objectives:Research to address the significant health burden experienced by sexual minority populations remains hampered by a lack of appropriate sampling methods to support evidence-based studies. Respondent-driven sampling offers one viable strategy to recruit these hidden populations. Because few studies systematically report their experiences using respondent-driven sampling to recruit sexual minorities, this article aligns with recent recommendations for the standardization of reporting and transparency in studies utilizing respondent-driven sampling. We (1) provide detailed descriptions about the successful execution of respondent-driven sampling in two community-based studies of sexual minority individuals, (2) outline procedures to enhance the effectiveness of respondent-driven sampling referral processes, (3) present mixed-methods results regarding the effectiveness of respondent-driven sampling in our studies, and (4) offer recommendations for other researchers when using respondent-driven sampling.Methods:We successfully recruited 655 sexual minority men and women for two studies using respondent-driven sampling.Results:Resulting metrics indicate the successful achievement of equilibrium in each study. In addition, exit interviews elucidated strategies to effectively target referrals who meet the study criteria and procedures to promote the study that will maximize referral chains and ensure attainment of equilibrium.Conclusion:Mixed-methods results suggest that respondent-driven sampling can be an effective means of recruiting a community-based sample of sexual minorities in smaller urban regions. Limitations are presented and suggestions are offered to researchers utilizing respondent-driven sampling in future studies.