Breast cancer patients who use social media express more satisfaction with the treatment decisions -
Women who are committed to social media after a diagnosis breast cancer expressed more reflection on their treatment decision and satisfaction with the way they have chosen, a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive cancer Center found.
But the researchers found significant barriers to social media for some women, especially older women, the less educated and minorities.
"Our findings show an unmet need among patients for decision support when they go through breast cancer treatment," says lead study author Lauren P. Wallner, Ph.D. .D., MPH, assistant professor of general medicine at the University of Michigan medical School.
"But at this stage, leveraging social media and online communication in clinical practice will not achieve all the patients. There are obstacles that need to be considered, "she added.
The researchers surveyed 2,460 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer about their use of email, SMS, social media and Web-based support groups after their diagnosis. women were identified by the database monitoring, Epidemiology and End Results. the study is published in JAMA oncology.
overall, 41 percent of women reported some or frequent use of online communication. Texting and email were the most frequent, with 35 percent of women use. Twelve percent of women reported using Facebook, Twitter or other social media sites, and 12 percent of web-based support groups used.
"women have different reasons for using each of these methods. Email and SMS were mainly to let people know they were diagnosed. They tend to use support groups, social media sites and the web to interact on treatment options and physician recommendations, "says Wallner.
" The women also reported using the all these outlets to deal with negative emotions and stress around the breast cancer diagnosis. They use these communications to meet, "she said.
The online communication was more common in younger women and more educated. Use also varied by race, with 46 percent of white women and 43 percent of Asian women reporting use frequently, compared to 35 percent of black women and 33 percent of Latinas.
the researchers also found that women who have online communication frequently used had more positive feelings about their treatment decision. They were more likely to report a deliberate decision and more likely to be very satisfied with their decision.
despite these advantages, the authors the study called for caution.
"for some women, social media can be a useful resource. But there are still questions to answer before we can rely on it as a routine part of patient care, "says Wallner." We do not know a lot about the type of information to them to find online. what they share and what is the quality of this information? We must understand that before we can really exploit the potential of social media to better support patients through their cancer treatment and care "
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