USE OF INTERNET HEALTH INFORMATION BY CANCER PATIENTS

互联网使用的爆炸性增长正在改变健康信息的获取和传递。消费者现在拥有与提供者目前相同的医疗信息，这种可获得性有可能显著改变患者和提供者之间的关系，改变患者和提供者的沟通方式，并帮助在卫生政策和决策中创建消费者的权力基础。健康消费者现在可以在任何时间从家里或办公室、白天或黑夜访问电子信息，而且不再局限于与医疗保健专业人员、朋友或同事交谈的传统交流途径。再加上当前的政治努力“有线：国家”，我们有必要研究计算机在本世纪将扮演的角色，以及这种信息传递系统将对消费者、他们的提供者和医疗保健传递系统的健康教育产生的影响。这项研究项目是一项横断面研究，考察新诊断的癌症患者对互联网健康信息的使用与患者任务行为和自我效能感之间的关系。所研究的具体变量将包括使用互联网健康信息的人的总体描述性特征、患者与提供者沟通中的感知患者行为以及感知到的应对疾病的自我效能。这些变量将在以下几个方面进行比较：1.直接用户--自己使用互联网的人；2.间接用户--从朋友或家人那里获得互联网健康信息的人；以及3.非用户--没有使用互联网健康信息的人。这项研究将利用位于宾夕法尼亚州费城福克斯·蔡斯癌症中心的癌症信息服务(CIS)大西洋办公室。参与者(N=600)将从拨打1-800-4-癌症电话服务的人中招募，这些人表明：1.18岁或以上；2.新诊断为癌症；以及3.尚未开始癌症治疗。对于那些同意参加研究的人，在初次接触后6至8周将进行后续电话访谈，以评估使用互联网对感知的患者任务行为和自我效能的影响。

The explosion in the use of the Internet is transforming the access and delivery of health information. Consumers now have the same medical information that is currently available to providers and this availability has the potential to significantly change the relationship between patient and provider, alter the ways patients and providers communicate and help create a consumer base of power in health policy and decision making. The health consumer can now access electronic information at any time, from home or office, day or night, and id no longer restricted to traditional avenues of communications talking to health care professionals, friends or colleagues. Coupled with current political efforts to "wire: the nation it will be essential to examine the role computers will play in this century and the impact that this information delivery system will have on health education for consumers, their providers, and health care delivery systems. This research project is a cross-sectional study examining the relationship between the use of Internet health information by people newly diagnosed with cancer and patient task behavior and perceived self efficacy. Specific variables studied will include overall descriptive characteristics of those using Internet health information, perceived patient behavior in patient-provider communication and perceived self efficacy coping with disease. These variables will be compared among, 1. Direct users-people using the Internet themselves; 2. Indirect Users-people receiving Internet health information from friends or family members; and, 3. Non-Users- people not using the Internet health information. The study will utilize the Cancer Information Service (CIS) Atlantic Office, located at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, PA. Participants (N=600) will be recruited from persons calling the 1-800-4-Cancer telephone service who indicate that they, 1. are 18 years or older; 2. have been newly diagnosed with cancer; and, 3. have not begun cancer treatment. For those who consent to be in the study, follow up phone interviews will be made six to eight weeks after initial contact to assess impact of the use of Internet on perceived patient task behavior and self efficacy.