title: Social support web-based resources for patients with chronic pain.
abstract: The authors performed an electronic search of websites that address psychosocial issues in pain management identified over 5 million sites. A search limited to pychosocial issue sin pain produced nearly 400,000. Nine scientific, professional and consumer-oriented websites were selected for review of social support information and opportunities using criteria focusing on patient information, referrals for counseling services and community-based assistance programs, self-help groups, specific pain syndromes, and readability and interpretability of consumer-oriented content. The internet can empower patients to self-manage their pain and seek out effective social support venues for improving their lives.
authors.affiliation: University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, 420 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. polomanr@nursing.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Rosemary C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Polomano
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Droog
authors.forename: Matthew C P
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Purinton
authors.forename: Alan S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D006077:Government Agencies; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D010146:Pain; D012944:Social Support; D012952:Societies; D014481:United States