USE OF INTERNET HEALTH INFORMATION BY CANCER PATIENTS

互联网使用的激增正在改变卫生信息的获取和提供。消费者现在拥有与提供者相同的医疗信息，这种可用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建立消费者基础。健康消费者现在可以在任何时候访问电子信息，从家里或办公室，白天或晚上，和id不再局限于传统的通信渠道与卫生保健专业人员，朋友或同事交谈。再加上目前的政治努力“电线：国家，这将是至关重要的审查作用，计算机将发挥在这个世纪和影响，这一信息传递系统将对健康教育的消费者，他们的供应商，和卫生保健提供系统。本研究是一项横断面研究，旨在探讨新诊断癌症患者使用互联网健康信息与患者任务行为和自我效能感之间的关系。研究的具体变量将包括使用互联网健康信息的总体描述性特征，感知患者在患者与提供者沟通中的行为和感知自我效能感应对疾病。这些变量将被比较，1。直接用户-人们使用互联网本身; 2.间接用户-从朋友或家人那里接收互联网健康信息的人;以及，3。非用户-不使用互联网健康信息的人。本研究将利用位于宾夕法尼亚州费城Fox Chase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-Cancer电话服务的人中招募，这些人表示他们：18岁或以上; 2。最近被诊断患有癌症;以及，3。还没有开始癌症治疗。对于那些同意参加研究的人，将在首次接触后6至8周进行电话随访，以评估使用互联网对感知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.