Evidence map›Paper›PMID 21804645›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of communication2008

Internet-Based Interactive Support for Cancer Patients: Are Integrated Systems Better?

David H Gustafson, Robert Hawkins, Fiona McTavish, Suzanne Pingree, Wei Chih Chen, Kanittha Volrathongchai, William Stengle, James A Stewart, Ronald C Serlin

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of communication, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02774889 (Once 'Stepping On' Ends), which is not on this map. Cited by 79 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
79citing papers in PubMed, 10 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT02774889 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2016, after this paper: background citation

Once 'Stepping On' Ends: Continuing a Group Falls Prevention Program Via the Internet

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Wisconsin, MadisonRan2016 to 2018Enrolled45ConditionsFall Related Injury, Social IsolationArmsStepping Online
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

79 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Interventions Addressing Health Literacy in Cancer Care: A Systematic Review of Reviews.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
    Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Electronic Health Interventions for Patients With Breast Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2022
    Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Online support groups for women with breast cancer.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017
    Pooled it
  8. Pooled it
  9. Pooled it
  10. Pooled it
  11. Trial
  12. Trial
  13. Trial
  14. Trial
  15. Trial
  16. Trial
  17. Trial
  18. Trial
  19. Trial
  20. Trial

19 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

David H GustafsonDepartment of Industrial Engineering and Preventive Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI 53706-1572.
Robert Hawkins
Fiona McTavish
Suzanne Pingree
Wei Chih Chen
Kanittha Volrathongchai
William Stengle
James A Stewart
Ronald C Serlin

Funding

COMPUTER INFO, SUPPORT &PLATFORM IMPACT--BREAST CANCERR01LM006533 · NLM · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MADISON · PI GUSTAFSON, DAVID H · 1998 to 2001
$440k
NLM NIH HHS R01 LM006533
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

To compare the benefits of the Internet generally versus a focused system of services, 257 breast cancer patients were randomly assigned to a control group, access to the Internet with links to high-quality breast cancer sites, or access to an eHealth system (Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System, CHESS) that integrated information, support, and decision and analysis tools. The intervention lasted 5 months, and self-report data on quality of life, health-care competence, and social support were collected at pretest and at 2-, 4-, and 9-month posttests. CHESS subjects logged on more overall than Internet subjects and accessed more health resources, but the latter used non health-related sites more. Subjects with access to the Internet alone experienced no better outcomes than controls at any of the 3 time points, compared to pretest levels. Subjects with CHESS experienced greater social support during the intervention period and had higher scores on all 3 outcomes at 9 months, 4 months after the intervention ended. CHESS subjects also scored higher than those with Internet access during the intervention period but not significantly after the intervention ended. Thus, CHESS (with one simple interface and integrated information, communication, and skills services) helped newly diagnosed breast cancer patients even after computers were removed. In contrast, patients received little benefit from Internet access, despite having links to a variety of high-quality sites.

Identifiers

PMID21804645
PMCPMC3144782

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.