The Internet: Friend or Foe When Providing Patient Education?

Abstract

The Internet has changed how patients with cancer learn about and cope with their disease. Newly diagnosed patients with cancer often have complex educational and informational needs related to diagnosis and treatment. Nurses frequently encounter time and work-related constraints that can interfere with the provision of patient education. They are challenged to educate patients in an environment of rapidly expanding and innovative computer technology. Barriers that hinder nurses in integrating educational Internet resources into patient care include lack of training, time constraints, and inadequate administrative support. Advantages of Internet use for patient education and support include wide-ranging and current information, a variety of teaching formats, patient empowerment, new communication options, and support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Pitfalls associated with Internet use for patients with cancer include inaccurate information, lack of access, poor quality of online resources, and security and privacy issues. Nurses routinely use computer technology in the workplace and follow rigorous security and privacy standards to protect patient information. Those skills can provide the foundation for the use of online sources for patient teaching. Nurses play an important role in helping patients evaluate the veracity of online information and introducing them to reliable Internet resources.

The role of the Internet in supporting and informing carers of people with cancer: a literature review

“…Positive outcomes reported include assisting carers to locate reliable and relevant information from the Internet [15,31]. Members of the treating team are ideally placed to advise and assist carers in this process [26,44,45], thereby promoting better Internet use [1]. Lack of high level evidence concerning carer Internet experience should not, however, preclude consideration of using the Internet for simple practice improvements to service delivery.…”

“…However, important to remember is that using Internet information relies on the 'information competence' of the carer, that is, the ability of the carer to be able to critically appraise the information and process it within the context of their situation [50]. Therefore, these applications and web sites should be designed to complement the information carers may have already received from health professionals [1,46].…”

Professional Caregivers’ Perceptions of Providing Information to Parents of Children With Cancer

“…On the other hand, many parents report benefits from using the Internet to find information (McGrath et al, 2007;Wainstein et al, 2006), and there are methods by which nurses can support parents in evaluating online sites (Anderson & Klemm, 2008).…”

The Impact of ICT on Health Promotion: A Randomized Experiment with Diabetic Patients

“…Through the Internet, patients can access wide-ranging, up-to-date information about their disease, available medical treatments, costs, and preventive health practices on a 24/7 basis. Interactivity and anonymity provide patients with new communication options, the potential for accessing information tailored to their needs, and new sources of support (Anderson and Klemm, 2008;Cline and Haynes, 2001). The information and support available through the Internet make it a promising cost-effective vehicle for empowering patients by improving their control over their health conditions and promoting better decision-making.…”