ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2014
Why do patients and caregivers seek answers from the Internet and online lung specialists? A qualitative study.
Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Patient Perspectives to Inform a Health Literacy Educational Program: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Studies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Pooled it
- The Antecedents and Consequences of Health Care Professional-Patient Online Interactions: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2019Pooled it
- Components and Outcomes of Internet-Based Interventions for Caregivers of Older Adults: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2017Pooled it
- Systematic review on the technology's role in supporting lung cancer patients in the treatment journey.NPJ digital medicine · 2025Article
- Echoes of Support: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis of Caregiver Narratives in Lung Cancer Care.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Family caregiving experiences with hospice lung cancer patients compared to other cancer types.Journal of psychosocial oncology · 2023Article
- Contexts and Outcomes of Proxy Online Health Information Seeking: Mixed Studies Review With Framework Synthesis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Review
- Cancer Survivors: What Are Their Information Seeking Behaviours?Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2021Article
- Caregivers of cancer patients: what are their information-seeking behaviours and resource preferences?Ecancermedicalscience · 2020Article
- A Multicomponent eHealth Intervention for Family Carers for People Affected by Psychosis: A Coproduced Design and Build Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2019Article
- Cancer information needs according to cancer type: A content analysis of data from Japan's largest cancer information website.Preventive medicine reports · 2018Article
- Second Opinions in Psychiatry: A Review.Journal of psychiatric practice · 2018Review
- The Role of Web-Based Health Information in Help-Seeking Behavior Prior to a Diagnosis of Lung Cancer: A Mixed-Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2017Article
- Development of a Website Providing Evidence-Based Information About Nutrition and Cancer: Fighting Fiction and Supporting Facts Online.JMIR research protocols · 2015Article
- Usability evaluation of an eHealth intervention for family carers of individuals affected by psychosis: A mixed-method study.Digital healthArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSince its launch in 2003, the Dutch Lung Cancer Information Center's (DLIC) website has become increasingly popular. The most popular page of the website is the section "Ask the Physician", where visitors can ask an online lung specialist questions anonymously and receive an answer quickly. Most questions were not only asked by lung cancer patients but also by their informal caregivers. Most questions concerned specific information about lung cancer.
objectiveOur goal was to explore the reasons why lung cancer patients and caregivers search the Internet for information and ask online lung specialists questions on the DLIC's interactive page, "Ask the Physician", rather than consulting with their own specialist.
methodsThis research consisted of a qualitative study with semistructured telephone interviews about medical information-seeking behavior (eg, information needs, reasons for querying online specialists). The sample comprised 5 lung cancer patients and 20 caregivers who posed a question on the interactive page of the DLIC website.
resultsRespondents used the Internet and the DLIC website to look for lung cancer-related information (general/specific to their personal situation) and to cope with cancer. They tried to achieve a better understanding of the information given by their own specialist and wanted to be prepared for the treatment trajectory and disease course. This mode of information supply helped them cope and gave them emotional support. The interactive webpage was also used as a second opinion. The absence of face-to-face contact made respondents feel freer to ask for any kind of information. By being able to pose a question instantly and receiving a relatively quick reply from the online specialist to urgent questions, respondents felt an easing of their anxiety as they did not have to wait until the next consultation with their own specialist.
conclusionsThe DLIC website with its interactive page is a valuable complementary mode of information supply and supportive care for lung cancer patients and caregivers.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.