Cancer patients’ information needs the first nine months after diagnosis

Breast cancer patients' information needs and information-seeking behavior in a developing country

“…According to a study by De Bock, breast cancer patients consider information on the side effects of treatment, the effects of long-term treatment, and prognosis to be very important issues [24]. In a study by Matsuyama, similar results were found; many patients would like a lot of information about their disease, treatment options, laboratory tests, and self-care [8].…”

“…Most patients have no clear concept of cancer at the time of diagnosis and require information to better understand and fight their disease [8]. Their needs for information stem from their having incomplete information and a lack of understanding about their current situation [6].…”

Open Issues in Intelligent Personal Health Record – An Updated Status Report for 2012

“…In various countries, one-third to two-thirds of people with a chronic condition are not given a home self-care plan by their healthcare providers [136,137], although such a plan is a critical component to improving or maintaining their health [11,106]. Most patients want detailed self-care information covering a wide range of issues [65,106,110]. When patients receive pamphlets about their health issues from their healthcare providers, the healthcare information provided on these pamphlets is often overly simplified and lacking in details, thereby limiting the usefulness of these pamphlets [71].…”

“…In particular, patients with chronic conditions have an ongoing need for updated information as their conditions evolve and their information needs change [106,141,149]. Both they and their caregivers continue to need help obtaining self-care information many months and years after discharge [37,106].…”

“…In particular, patients with chronic conditions have an ongoing need for updated information as their conditions evolve and their information needs change [106,141,149]. Both they and their caregivers continue to need help obtaining self-care information many months and years after discharge [37,106]. According to several surveys, about 10% to 25% (depending on the category of SCAs) of patients recently discharged from a hospital [58], 75% of stroke patients at 6 months post discharge [59], 31% of cancer patients [141], and more than 60% of long-term cancer survivors [73] have unmet needs for self-care information.…”