摘要:
Vanderbilt Univ, Nashville, TN; Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Ctr, Nashille, TN6056 Background: Today patients and their companions use self-gathered information, we entitle patient-obtained medical information (POMI), which can impact patient and physician encounter. This study evaluates current and potential POMI sources, the perceived quality of such sources, and the benefits of such information. Methods: Participants, recruited from the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, anonymously completed a validated questionnaire that queried 1) socio-demographics, 2) current and future medical information sources and the perceived quality of such sources, 3) medical topics searched for (including Internet web sites), and 4) the perceived benefits of the information acquired. Results: Response rate was 91% (n=424, 166 patient and companion pairs, 91 individual patients and 1 individual companion). Patients were primarily male (54.5%); companions were primarily female (63.5%). Both groups were older (>50, 64%), had a high school education or above (88.0%), and owned a computer (77.2%) with Internet access (76.2%). Both believed that POMI increased their: involvement in decision making (98.3% agreed), satisfaction with treatment choices (95.8%), ability to cope (96.5%), and communication among family members (95.5%). Surprisingly, when compared to these levels, POMI was statistically less likely to reduce anxiety (78.0%, p<.001). The top ranked oncology topics are diagnosis and treatment information both currently (82.2%) and in the future (69.4%), and information concerning drugs and side effects (58.4% current; 55.8% future). Oncologists are the primary source of information (97.2% current; 84.0% future), with the highest perceived quality (6.2 out of 7 current; 6.39 future), with the Internet ranked 7th for current use (46.2%) and 6th for future use (39.9%). Email, while much discussed, at 12th (16.0% current; 14.4% future) ranked well below newspapers/magazines (8th, 37.5%) and