Feasibility of Synchronous Online Focus Groups of Rural Breast Cancer Survivors on Web-Based Distress Self-Management.
Robin M Lally, Christine Eisenhauer, Sydney Buckland and 1 others
PMID 30339151WHAT IT FOUND
Twenty-three rural breast cancer survivors reviewed a web-based distress self-management program and said it could fit their needs if private, trustworthy, easy to navigate, and not too time-consuming.
All 23 completed the online focus groups.
Key findings
01All 23 enrolled women reviewed the program, attended their assigned online focus group, and completed participation.
02Survivors judged program quality by whether it was worth their time, relevant to rural women, and trustworthy.
03Participants requested additions about treatment, rural issues, survivorship, diet, and using the program.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used a convenience sample from rural Nebraska, and participants were mostly educated, employed, Caucasian volunteers with computers, mobile phones, and Internet experience. Online focus groups could not capture body language, voice tone, or side conversations, and some participants may have been less willing to type long responses. The sample was small and not diverse, so the findings may not apply to rural women in other regions, with different backgrounds, or with less technology access. Participants were one month to 10 years after diagnosis, while CaringGuidance is aimed at the initial months after a new diagnosis, so their views may not match newly diagnosed women. This was a feasibility and program review study, not a trial of whether CaringGuidance improves distress or outcomes.
Declared interests
No conflicts-of-interest statement is given in the article text. The publication record lists NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that CaringGuidance reduces distress or improves patient outcomes. It reports rural breast cancer survivors' perceptions and the feasibility of online focus groups, not a tested intervention.