Psycho-oncology
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Many cancer patients turn to the Internet to obtain information on their disease. This digital quest is often motivated by a perceived discrepancy between the information received from health professionals and patients' actual informational needs. This discrepancy may be reduced by supplementing standard patient education with reliable online information sources. This study investigates health professionals' opinions, cognitions, and behavior regarding referring cancer patients to Internet-based information. ⋯ Recognition of patients' information needs does not culminate in Internet referral among health professionals in cancer care. High intentions to change, however, indicate good prospects for future referral. This study yields valuable insights into behavioral determinants of health professionals' Internet referral behavior. Targeting determinants and barriers in future interventions will provide opportunities for optimization of educational practices.
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This study determined the psychometric properties of the Arabic Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-being (FACIT-Sp) Version 4 and explored associations between its three factors (Peace, Meaning, and Faith) and health-related quality of life (HrQoL) among Arab patients with cancer. ⋯ This first study of Arabic-speaking, predominantly Muslim Jordanian cancer patients using the FACIT-Sp indicates that it is a psychometrically sound instrument for detailed assessment of the spiritual well-being of Arabic-speaking cancer patients. The three-factor model appears to allow for discrimination among factors that are most highly associated with different aspects of HrQoL.
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To investigate the exercise barriers, facilitators and preferences of a mixed sample of cancer survivors as well as fatigue levels, quality of life (QoL) and the frequency and intensity of exercise that cancer survivors typically engage in. ⋯ Although cancer survivors continue to experience fatigue and QoL issues long after treatment completion, over half are willing and feel able to participate in exercise. Exercise barriers were mainly health related or environmental issues, however, the main barriers reported were those that had the potential to be alleviated by exercise.