Effect Of Internet-based Support Program On Uncertainty In Illness And Depression In Breast Cancer Patients

Background With the global popularization,Internet has been regarded as an effective access to obtain health information and emotional support for patients.Studies with the Internet as an intervention medium among breast cancer patients have been reported in western literature,most of which achieved positive results.However few studies have been reported using Internet as platform of intervention for Chinese cancer patients. Therefore the purpose of this study was to develop an Internet support program for breast cancer patients,based on a Chinese website,and to evaluate the effect of such a program on uncertainty in illness, depression and the level of disease-related knowledge in breast cancer patients.This study is significant in providing practical information in developing an Internet support program for breast cancer patients.Purpose To develop an Internet-based support program for breast cancer patients and evaluate the effect of such a program on uncertainty in illness,depression and the level of disease-related knowledge in the patients.Method A convenient sample of 119 post-surgery breast cancer outpatients were recruited from Shanghai Cancer Hospital during September 2007 to May 2008 and were assigned into the control group(63 cases) and the intervention group(56 cases).A 12-week Internet-based breast cancer support program was provided to the intervention group,while the control group received the routine follow-up only.The internet support program was characterized by providing web-based disease-specific knowledge, online real-time consultant service,online discussions about breast cancer-specific topics,and online patients' communications. Measurements of uncertainty in illness,depression,level of disease-related knowledge were taken by questionnaire at 6-week and 12-week after the baseline survey.Result①After intervention,there was a trend of signicantly declined scores on uncertainty in illness in intervention group than in control group(F=7.781,p＜0.001).Uncertainty score showed significantly different between the two groups(F=5.434,P＜0.01),with score in intervention group significantly lower than that of control group at 12-week(F=6.276,p＜0.05).②After intervention,there was a trend of signicantly declined scores on ambiguity dimension in intervention group than in control group(F=4.600,p＜0.05).Ambiguity dimension score showed significantly different between the two groups(F=3.530,p＜0.05), with score in intervention group significantly lower than that of control group at 12-week(F=4.375,p＜0.05).③After intervention,there was a trend of signicantly declined scores on lack of information dimension in intervention group than in control group(F=12.355,p＜0.001).Lack of information dimension score showed significantly different between the two groups(F=8.626,p＜0.001),with score in intervention group significantly lower than that of control group at 12-week(F=12.194,p＜0.001).④After intervention,there was a trend of signicantly declined scores on depression in intervention group than in control group(F=3.607, p＜0.05).Depression score showed significantly different between the two groups(F=2.982,p＜0.05),with score in intervention group significantly lower than that of control group at 12-week(F=4.923,p＜0.05).⑤After intervention,disease-related knowledge score in intervention group showed significantly higher than that of control group at 12-week (Z=-3.891,p＜0.001).Conclusion Internet-based breast cancer support program can provide abundant and targeted information,offer multi-disciplinary cooperated conselling,achieve real-time interactive interventions,thus it is an effective approach in reducing uncertainty to disease and leve of depression for breast cancer patients.In addition,it is effective in improving the level of disease-related knowledge.