The Internet has changed the way people shop, do business, and communicate with one another. Even those who try to avoid computers are bombarded with Web advertisements on television and in newspapers and magazines. The Internet also has excellent, but still largely underused, potential for conducting research studies. A Web-based questionnaire essentially combines the power and graphic flexibility of a computer with the freedom of a mail survey. The specific goals of this study were (1) to develop a Web-based utility assessment tool and (2) to use this tool to measure the health burden of breast hypertrophy by using the Internet to sample a population. An open-enrollment, Internet-based survey was developed to assess societal preferences for mild and severe breast hypertrophy using three established assessment techniques: visual analogue scale, time trade-off, and standard gamble. Subjects were recruited from a Web-based clinical trial listing service. Demographics, subjects' utility for their current health, and responses to a comorbidity index were also recorded. Data were recorded from August 1, 1999, to January 31, 2000. There were 480 unique responses, and 356 (74 percent) met the inclusion criteria. The respondents were predominantly female (81 percent), Caucasian (83 percent), and in the middle income brackets. Their mean age was 32.9. The average score for capacity of understanding was 4.99 out of 5 (5 = excellent). The median utility score for severe breast hypertrophy (visual analogue scale, 0.70; time trade-off, 0.85; standard gamble, 0.88) differed significantly from the median utility score for mild breast hypertrophy (visual analogue scale, 0.93; time trade-off, 1.0; standard gamble, 0.98) for each method. The results showed that the construction of a Web-based questionnaire for utility assessment is feasible and can be used to capture the utility of health states. The authors were able to enroll a large number of subjects with excellent capacity to understand the study, resulting in a high rate of usable responses. The applicability of these data to cost-effectiveness studies is limited by the extent to which the sampled population of this study is representative of society in general. The demographics of this study sample also differed from those of the Internet population. The study was piloted by measuring the values for breast hypertrophy, but the procedure could be used to assess the burden on quality of life of any disease and, potentially, the efficacy of surgical interventions. The study method is recommended as an accurate and cost-effective alternative for measuring quality of life.

Purpose To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a multimedia self-management (MSM) intervention to prepare patients and family caregivers for lung surgery. Patients and Methods This is a quasi-experimental, two-group, sequential enrollment pilot study of a four-session multimedia intervention (audio/visual + print) to enhance self-management and QOL for patients and family caregivers. The intervention, Preparing for Lung Surgery, begins before surgery, and continues through hospitalization and discharge, with two telephone support sessions after discharge. Outcomes were assessed before surgery (pre-intervention), at discharge, and 2–4 weeks post-discharge (post-intervention). Patient outcomes were assessed using the FACT-G (QOL), MDASI and FACT-PSI (symptoms), self-efficacy, surgery-related knowledge, and patient activation. Family caregiver outcomes included COH-QOL-Family (QOL), Caregiver Burden Scale, and knowledge. Paired t-tests were used for exploratory evaluations of score changes from pre- to post-intervention. Results Sixty participants (38 patients, 22 family caregivers) enrolled in the study (70% accrual). Post-intervention scores were significantly improved for patients’ emotional QOL (p=0.001). Trends for improvements were observed for patient self-efficacy, surgery-related knowledge, activation. Family caregivers’ surgery-related knowledge was significantly improved (p=0.02). Overall, participants were highly satisfied with the acceptability/usability of the intervention (3.6 to 3.7/4.0). Conclusion A standardized multimedia self-management intervention was feasible and acceptable in supporting readiness and preparedness for lung surgery and postoperative recovery. A larger randomized trial is needed to verify the impact of the MSM intervention on patient/family caregiver outcomes and healthcare resource use.

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Expanded prevention efforts are needed with HIV-infected and substance-using MSM to reduce the burden of reinfection in this population.