TY - BOOK
T1 - Improving online health information provision for older cancer patients
T2 - Online health information usage and its influence on patient outcomes
AU - de Looper, Melanie
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - On the one hand, online health information can be a valuable information source aside from healthcare providers because it can increase a patient’s knowledge, participation during consultations, and informed treatment decision making. On the other hand, for older cancer patients who experience difficulties with understanding and recalling information, seeking online health information can be complicated. Since cancer is more often found in older individuals, attention should be paid to improve online health information for this population. Therefore, this dissertation addressed the following aims: first, to gain insight into the effects of patients seeking for online health information spontaneously on patient outcomes, while taking age into account; second, to test two promising communication strategies to present online health information to older cancer patients, i.e. multimodal information (spoken verbal information combined with animations) multimedia (written verbal information combined with illustrations) or and narrative information, in terms of patients’ satisfaction, information recall and informed decision making; and third, to develop and implement an online health information tool for older cancer patients including promising communication strategies and features, and evaluate this tool in terms of patient outcomes. This dissertation showed that older patients engage less in spontaneous online health information seeking than younger patients, while the results showed online health information seeking resulted in positive patient outcomes. Second, multimodal, and possibly narrative, communication strategies in an online health information tool positively influenced patient outcomes related to decision making. Lastly, the pilot RCT showed that usage of an online health information tool systematically developed for older patients with colorectal cancer, resulted in less anxiety. The findings of this dissertation demonstrated the potential of online health information for older cancer patients in terms of outcomes related to decision making and can support health communication researchers and online health information developers to improve online health information for older patients with cancer.
AB - On the one hand, online health information can be a valuable information source aside from healthcare providers because it can increase a patient’s knowledge, participation during consultations, and informed treatment decision making. On the other hand, for older cancer patients who experience difficulties with understanding and recalling information, seeking online health information can be complicated. Since cancer is more often found in older individuals, attention should be paid to improve online health information for this population. Therefore, this dissertation addressed the following aims: first, to gain insight into the effects of patients seeking for online health information spontaneously on patient outcomes, while taking age into account; second, to test two promising communication strategies to present online health information to older cancer patients, i.e. multimodal information (spoken verbal information combined with animations) multimedia (written verbal information combined with illustrations) or and narrative information, in terms of patients’ satisfaction, information recall and informed decision making; and third, to develop and implement an online health information tool for older cancer patients including promising communication strategies and features, and evaluate this tool in terms of patient outcomes. This dissertation showed that older patients engage less in spontaneous online health information seeking than younger patients, while the results showed online health information seeking resulted in positive patient outcomes. Second, multimodal, and possibly narrative, communication strategies in an online health information tool positively influenced patient outcomes related to decision making. Lastly, the pilot RCT showed that usage of an online health information tool systematically developed for older patients with colorectal cancer, resulted in less anxiety. The findings of this dissertation demonstrated the potential of online health information for older cancer patients in terms of outcomes related to decision making and can support health communication researchers and online health information developers to improve online health information for older patients with cancer.
M3 - Doctoral Thesis
PB - Universiteit van Amsterdam
ER -