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Supportive Care in Cancer
Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer 10/2018

01-10-2018 | Original Article

Online information and support needs of women with advanced breast cancer: a qualitative analysis

Authors: Emma Kemp, Bogda Koczwara, Phyllis Butow, Jane Turner, Afaf Girgis, Penelope Schofield, Nicholas Hulbert-Williams, Janelle Levesque, Danielle Spence, Sina Vatandoust, Ganessan Kichenadasse, Amitesh Roy, Shawgi Sukumaran, Christos S. Karapetis, Caroline Richards, Michael Fitzgerald, Lisa Beatty

Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer | Issue 10/2018

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Abstract

Purpose

Women with advanced breast cancer (ABC) face significant adjustment challenges, yet few resources provide them with information and support, and attendance barriers can preclude access to face-to-face psychosocial support. This paper reports on two qualitative studies examining (i) whether information and support-seeking preferences of women with ABC could be addressed in an online intervention, and (ii) how an existing intervention for patients with early stage cancer could be adapted for women with ABC.

Methods

Women with ABC participated in telephone interviews about their information and support-seeking preferences (N = 21) and evaluated an online intervention focused on early-stage cancer (N = 15). Interviews were transcribed and underwent thematic analysis using the framework method to identify salient themes.

Results

Participants most commonly sought medical, lifestyle-related, and practical information/support; however, when presented with an online intervention, participants most commonly gave positive feedback on content on coping with emotional distress. Difficulty finding information and barriers to using common sources of information/support including health professionals, family and friends, and peers were reported; however, some women also reported not wanting information or support. All participants evaluating the existing intervention gave positive feedback on various components, with results suggesting an online intervention could be an effective means of providing information/support to women with ABC, given improved specificity/relevance to ABC and increased tailoring to individual circumstances and preferences.

Conclusions

Adaptation of an existing online intervention for early stage cancer appears to be a promising avenue to address the information and support needs of women with ABC.
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Metadata
Title
Online information and support needs of women with advanced breast cancer: a qualitative analysis
Authors
Emma Kemp
Bogda Koczwara
Phyllis Butow
Jane Turner
Afaf Girgis
Penelope Schofield
Nicholas Hulbert-Williams
Janelle Levesque
Danielle Spence
Sina Vatandoust
Ganessan Kichenadasse
Amitesh Roy
Shawgi Sukumaran
Christos S. Karapetis
Caroline Richards
Michael Fitzgerald
Lisa Beatty
Publication date
01-10-2018
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Supportive Care in Cancer / Issue 10/2018
Print ISSN: 0941-4355
Electronic ISSN: 1433-7339
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-018-4206-1

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