The Impact of Participation in Online Cancer Communities on Patient Reported Outcomes: Systematic Review.
Mies C H J van EenbergenLonneke V van de Poll-FransePeter HeineFloortje MolsPublished in: JMIR cancer (2017)
The main shortcoming of this kind of study is the lack of methodological instruments for reliable measurements. Furthermore, some patients who participate in online communities or interact with peers via Internet do not expect to measure changes in their PROs. If cancer survivors want to meet other survivors and share information or get support, online communities can be a trustworthy and reliable platform to facilitate opportunities or possibilities to make this happen.