Evaluation & effectiveness of an online health information tool for older cancer patients

Published on June 23, 2022 – Older cancer patients search for online health information before consultations, but this information is often not adapted to their needs. A recently published study by ACHC researcher Melanie de Looper, shows positive outcomes of an online health information tool specially developed for older cancer patients. 

Older patients seeking health information online can result in negative outcomes due to finding difficult or unclear information. Therefore, Melanie de Looper, together with colleagues, investigated the outcomes of an online health information tool, the Patient Navigator, which was specifically developed for older cancer patients. After several development phases, a final version of the Patient Navigator was evaluated by recently diagnosed cancer patients in terms of usage, user experience (satisfaction, involvement, cognitive load, active control, perceived relevance), patient participation during the consultation, and patient outcomes (anxiety, satisfaction, and information recall). The results show that the Patient Navigator was widely used and evaluated positively. Patients who used the Patient Navigator were less anxious after the consultation than patients who did not use the Patient Navigator. Patients who used the Patient Navigator participated less during the consultation. However, their satisfaction was not compromised, suggesting their information needs might already have been fulfilled by using the Patient Navigator. Thus, it can be concluded that specifically developed online health information tools are valuable for older cancer patients since the tool was evaluated positively, decreased anxiety, and possibly fulfilled patients’ information needs.

For more information please see the full article.

To see the Patient Navigator visit: www.wijzerbijkanker.nl