Study examines use of Internet counseling in cancer patients

Study examines use of Internet counseling in cancer patients

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing are studying whether ovarian cancer patients will benefit from participating in private online message boards. The National Institutes of Health-funded study will follow the patients as they discuss symptoms and treatment side effects with physicians and nurses online, reports iHealthBeat. In the study, patients will participate in the message boards for nine weeks while a control group receives normal care. The two groups will switch after nine weeks, and the study will go on until it has 90 participants, according to the report. After the study, participants will complete questionnaires about their symptom severity, quality of life, and other issues. Online intervention may be able to fill "healthcare gaps," according to the report.