title: Sources and types of online information that breast cancer patients read and discuss with their doctors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Most research examining the impact of patients seeking online health information treats internet information homogenously, rather than recognizing that there are multiple types and sources of available information. The present research was conducted to differentiate among sources and types of internet information that patients search for, intend to discuss with their doctors, and recall discussing with their doctors, and to determine how accurate and hopeful patients rate this information.
  
  
  METHODS
  We surveyed 70 breast cancer patients recruited from the waiting rooms of breast medical oncology and surgery clinics. The main variables in the study were as follows: (1) the sources and types of online information patients have read, intended to discuss, and actually discussed with their doctors, and (2) how accurately and hopefully they rated this information to be.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients read information most frequently from the websites of cancer organizations, and most often about side effects. Patients planned to discuss fewer types of information with their doctors than they had read about. They most often intended to discuss information from cancer organization websites or WebMD, and the material was most often about alternative therapies, side effects, and proven or traditional treatments. Some 76.8% of total participants rated the information they had read as very or somewhat accurate, and 61% rated the information they had read as very or somewhat hopeful.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Internet information varies widely by source and type. Differentiating among sources and types of information is essential to explore the ways in which online health information impacts patients' experiences.
authors.affiliation: University of Pennsylvania,Philadelphia,Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Erin K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Maloney
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center,New York,New York.
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: D'Agostino
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center,New York,New York.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heerdt
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center,New York,New York.
authors.forename: Maura
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dickler
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center,New York,New York.
authors.forename: Yuelin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center,New York,New York.
authors.forename: Jamie S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ostroff
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center,New York,New York.
authors.forename: Carma L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Bylund
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007255:Information Services; D020407:Internet; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Trusted health sources