Quality of online information on breast cancer
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The quality of information on breast cancer treatment options available on the internet
IRAS ID
207355
Contact name
Malcolm Reed
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
This study aims to assess the quality of information on breast cancer treatment options available on the Internet. It aims to assess how the quality of information on breast cancer treatment options is perceived by patients and healthcare professionals or academics.
100 breast cancer patients will be invited to participate through Breast Cancer Support Group: Brighton (BCSG: B) and 60 healthcare professionals (25 listed among the doctors and nurses the Sussex Cancer Centre; and 35 academics from BSMS) will also be invited.The participants will be provided with a printed questionnaire containing a link to a URL containing ten links to websites. Participants will need to access the Internet in order to access the websites. They will need to open the link, look at the websites and assess them for a number of criteria to be scored 0-9 (9 = best) in part A of the printed questionnaire. Part B of the questionnaire will ask the participant to identify the three most, as well as the three least, important qualities/criteria from the list in part A. The participants will then be asked to anonymously return the completed questionnaires by post to Brighton & Sussex Medical School. The researchers of this study will ensure that any participant-identifying information is not collected and where it is present; it is disposed of appropriately. Results from the questionnaires will then be quantitatively analysed by the researchers. This study is undertaken as part of a medical student's fourth year individual research project (IRP) and as such findings will be reported in the form of the IRP report. Key findings will also be summarised to produce a scientific publication to be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/WM/0462
Date of REC Opinion
4 Nov 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion