Navigating the Cancer Information Environment: The Reciprocal Relationship Between Patient–Clinician Information Engagement and Information Seeking from Nonmedical Sources

Abstract

Prior theory has argued and empirical studies have shown that cancer patients rely on information from their health care providers as well as lay sources to understand and make decisions about their disease. However, research on the dynamic and interdependent nature of cancer patients’ engagement with different information sources is lacking. This study tested the hypotheses that patient-clinician information engagement and information seeking from nonmedical sources influence one another longitudinally among a representative cohort of 1,293 cancer survivors in Pennsylvania. The study hypotheses were supported in a series of lagged multiple regression analyses. Baseline seeking information from nonmedical sources positively predicted subsequent patient-clinician information engagement at one-year follow-up. The reverse relationship was also statistically significant; baseline patient-clinician information engagement positively predicted information seeking from nonmedical sources at follow-up. These findings suggest that cancer survivors move between nonmedical to clinician sources in a dynamic way to learn about their disease.

Predictors of the authenticity of Internet health rumours

“…For example, 72% of US Internet users and 50.5% of UK breast cancer patients searched the Internet for health information. The initial information found from online non‐medical sources often has an important effect on subsequent patient–clinician information engagement . However, because the type of organised monitoring for rigorous quality control that exists for print resources (such as magazines and journals) does not exist for websites, the reliability of posted information varies .…”

“…The initial information found from online non-medical sources often has an important effect on subsequent patient-clinician information engagement. 4 However, because the type of organised monitoring for rigorous quality control that exists for print resources (such as magazines and journals) does not exist for websites, the reliability of posted information varies. 5,6 For instance, unverified health rumours may be included in health-related search results.…”

Associations between Cancer-Related Information Seeking and Receiving PET Imaging for Routine Cancer Surveillance—An Analysis of Longitudinal Survey Data

“…We included the Lerman Cancer Worry scale as a confounder because an earlier analysis showed that worry was a significant predictor of subsequent patient-clinician information engagement; in contrast, the reverse relationship (patient-clinician information engagement or seeking from non-medical sources predicting subsequent worry) was non-significant (41). Because of the presence of gender-specific cancer types, we combined gender and cancer type into a single covariate such that four categories were controlled for in the analysis (female colorectal, male colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers).…”

Making Active Surveillance a path towards health promotion: A qualitative study on prostate cancer patients’ perceptions of health promotion during Active Surveillance

“…Further research should follow to explore how to maintain engagement of patients during AS and to build occasions within AS for taking patients on board. Literature emphasised the role of healthcare professionals for patient engagement (Batalden et al, 2016;Moldovan-Johnson, Tan, & Hornik, 2014;Tan, Bourgoin, Gray, Armstrong, & Hornik, 2011) and, at the same time, their barriers and resistances (Légaré, Ratté, Gravel, & Graham, 2008;Lelorain, Bachelet, Bertin, & Bourgoin, 2017;Moore et al, 2016). Attention should be paid on training healthcare professionals in a new partnership with patients.…”