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Comparative Study
. 2011 Oct;54(5):339-43.
doi: 10.1503/cjs.011910.

Information on the Internet about colorectal cancer: patient attitude and potential toward Web browsing. A prospective observational study

Muhammad S Sajid  1 , Ali J Shakir, Mirza K Baig
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Information on the Internet about colorectal cancer: patient attitude and potential toward Web browsing. A prospective observational study

Muhammad S Sajid et al. Can J Surg. 2011 Oct.

Abstract
in English, French

Background: Patients with colorectal cancer who seek to improve their knowledge of health and treatment options can now access in a few seconds data that would previously have required hours of research. Our aim was to evaluate the attitudes of patients toward Web browsing for information on colorectal cancer.

Methods: We surveyed all patients attending a colorectal cancer follow-up clinic between January and August 2007 on their use of the Internet to obtain information on colorectal cancer.

Results: In all, 439 patients with mean age of 68.6 years participated in the study. Of these, 24% reported using the Internet to obtain colorectal cancer information. Most participants used the Google search engine. Only 13% of participants confirmed that colorectal cancer information on the Internet was helpful in decision-making. Patients under the age of 65 years were more likely to have Internet access (p < 0.001), more likely to use the Internet to find colorectal cancer information (p = 0.005) and more likely to access a site recommended by a colorectal specialist (p = 0.002). Among Internet users, men were slightly more likely than women to use the Internet, although the difference was not significant (p = 0.20).

Conclusion: The Internet is a useful tool for disseminating information about colorectal cancer. The best sites are still difficult for patients to distinguish from the thousands of sites returned by search engines. This study demonstrates that the level of potential interest is sufficient to justify the development of a departmental or regional colorectal cancer network of websites and indicates areas of interest for patients.

Contexte: Les patients atteints d’un cancer colorectal qui souhaitent à mieux connaître leur état et les possibilités de traitement peuvent maintenant consulter en quelques secondes des données qu’il leur aurait fallu chercher pendant des heures auparavant. Nous voulions évaluer les attitudes des patients à l’égard de la recherche sur Internet d’information au sujet du cancer colorectal.

Méthodes: Nous avons sondé tous les patients qui se sont présentés à une clinique de suivi du cancer colorectal entre janvier et août 2007 au sujet de l’utilisation d’Internet pour obtenir de l’information sur le cancer colorectal.

Résultats: Au total, 439 patients qui avaient en moyenne 68,6 ans ont participé à l’étude et 24 % d’entre eux ont déclaré avoir cherché sur Internet de l’information au sujet du cancer colorectal. La plupart des participants ont utilisé le moteur de recherche Google. Seulement 13 % des participants ont confirmé que l’information sur le cancer colorectal trouvée sur Internet les a aidés à prendre une décision. Les patients de moins de 65 ans étaient plus susceptibles d’avoir accès à Internet (p < 0,001), plus susceptibles d’utiliser Internet pour trouver de l’information sur le cancer colorectal (p = 0,005) et plus susceptibles de consulter un site recommandé par un spécialiste du cancer colorectal (p = 0,002). Chez les internautes, les hommes étaient un peu plus susceptibles que les femmes d’utiliser Internet, même si la différence n’était pas significative (p = 0,20).

Conclusion: Internet est un outil utile pour diffuser de l’information sur le cancer colorectal. Il demeure difficile pour les patients de distinguer les meilleurs sites parmi les milliers découverts par les moteurs de recherche. Cette étude démontre que le niveau d’intérêt possible suffit pour justifier la création d’un réseau de sites web sur le cancer colorectal au niveau du département ou de la région et précise les domaines d’intérêt des patients.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Search engines used among patients with colorectal cancer to find information on their disease on the Internet.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Quality of colorectal cancer (CRC) information on the Internet.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Reasons among patients with colorectal cancer for not using the Internet to find information about their disease.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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