Evaluation of cancerchatcanada: A program of online support for canadians affected by cancer

30Citations
Citations of this article
104Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

Background Professional-led cancer support groups can improve quality of life and address unmet needs, but most Canadians affected by cancer do not have access to or do not make use of cancer support groups. A collaborative interdisciplinary team developed, operated, and evaluated Internet-based, professional-led, live-chat support groups (osgs) for cancer patients, caregivers, and survivors across Canada. Objective Our study aimed to report participant and participation characteristics in the pan-Canadian initiative known as CancerChatCanada, and to understand participant perspectives about the quality of communication and professional facilitation, overall satisfaction, and psychosocial benefits and outcomes. Methods Participants in osgs provided informed consent. Participant and participation characteristics were gathered from program data collection tools and are described using frequencies, means, and chi-squares. Patient, survivor, and caregiver perspectives were derived from 102 telephone interviews conducted after osg completion and subjected to a directed qualitative content analysis. Results The 55 professional-led osgs enrolled 351 participants from 9 provinces. More than half the participants came from rural or semirural areas, and more than 84% had no received previous cancer support. The attendance rate was 75%, the dropout rate was 26%, and 80% of participants were satisfied or very satisfied. The convenience and privacy of osgs were benefits. Meaningful communication about important and difficult topics, kinship and bonding with others, and improved mood and self-care were perceived outcomes. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that this collaborative initiative was successful in increasing reach and access, and that pan-Canadian, professional-led osgs provide psychosocial benefit to underserved and burdened cancer patients, survivors, and family caregivers. © 2013 Multimed Inc.

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Stephen, J., Rojubally, A., MacGregor, K., McLeod, D., Speca, M., Taylor-Brown, J., … Mackenzie, G. (2013). Evaluation of cancerchatcanada: A program of online support for canadians affected by cancer. Current Oncology, 20(1), 39–47. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.20.1210

Readers' Seniority

Tooltip

PhD / Post grad / Masters / Doc 42

75%

Researcher 9

16%

Professor / Associate Prof. 4

7%

Lecturer / Post doc 1

2%

Readers' Discipline

Tooltip

Psychology 21

38%

Nursing and Health Professions 18

32%

Medicine and Dentistry 10

18%

Social Sciences 7

13%

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free