David Spiegel
Publication Details
-
Electronic support groups for breast carcinoma: a clinical trial of effectiveness.
Cancer. 2003; (4): 920-5
A recent Pew Charitable Trust study found that 52,000,000 individuals used the Internet to obtain health/medical information. Clinical trials of face-to-face breast carcinoma support groups show evidence of 1) improvement in quality of life, 2) reduction of psychologic symptoms, 3) improvement in coping responses, and 4) a reduction in pain. To the authors' knowledge, a few studies published to date have investigated Internet-delivered electronic support groups (ESGs) for cancer. The most sophisticated is the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (CHESS) program, which provides integrated information, referral, and a newsgroup-based social support program. However, to the authors' knowledge, no studies published to date have examined the impact of a breast carcinoma ESG in a clinical trial.
Help
Trial Administration