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Although health care has lagged behind other industries in adopting online services, consumers will embrace online tools such as obtaining results of lab tests, scheduling appointments, and doctor-patient e-mail. Many challenges in using health care technology faced by small and midsize medical practices can be overcome by examining how Kaiser Permanente and other large integrated health systems handle the same problems. Collaboration among providers, combined with government support, will help advance widespread consumer adoption of online health care.

Objective To evaluate the relevance, performance and potential usefulness of the Patient Assessment of cancer Communication Experiences (PACE) items. Methods Items focusing on specific communication goals related to exchanging information, fostering healing relationships, responding to emotions, making decisions, enabling self-management, and managing uncertainty were tested via a retrospective, cross-sectional survey of adults who had been diagnosed with cancer. Analyses examined response frequencies, inter-item correlations, and coefficient alpha. Results A total of 366 adults were included in the analyses. Relatively few selected “Does Not Apply”, suggesting that items tap relevant communication experiences. Ratings of whether specific communication goals were achieved were strongly correlated with overall ratings of communication, suggesting item content reflects important aspects of communication. Coefficient alpha was ≥.90 for each item set, indicating excellent reliability. Variations in the percentage of respondents selecting the most positive response across items suggest results can identify strengths and weaknesses. Conclusion The PACE items tap relevant, important aspects of communication during cancer care, and may be useful to cancer care teams desiring detailed feedback.

This chapter describes the benefits and limitations of using online surveys and the conditions under which this data collection method may be appropriate for evaluation. It also covers how online surveys can be used during stages of the evaluation process as well as ethical considerations in using this methodology.