Telephone and Website Users of the Irish Cancer Society's Cancer Information Services: Variations in Age, Gender and Educational Level

Background Traditionally the telephone helplines were the main conduit for the provision of cancer information services (CISs). The Internet as an information source to inform and influence treatment decisions related to... [ view full abstract ]

Background
Traditionally the telephone helplines were the main conduit for the provision of cancer information services (CISs). The Internet as an information source to inform and influence treatment decisions related to cancer is superseding telephone helplines. In Ireland, the Irish Cancer Society (ICS) is the main provider of information on all aspects of cancer; however, little is known of the profile of users of two of the main CISs provided by the ICS, online information services and telephone helpline.

Aim
Aim: Evaluate the impact CISs have on service users. Objectives: Develop an understanding about who uses CISs and evaluate the extent to which the service is equitable in terms of sociodemographic background.

Method
For the evaluation of the ICS Telephone Helpline, systematic random sampling was used. This method resulted in a sample size of 291 respondents. Telephone interviewing was used with this cohort. A total of 545 respondents completed a survey on the use of the ICS's online information services; respondents completed the survey online. The authors’ university granted ethical approval for the study.

Findings
The majority of those who use the ICS cancer information services are women. and had high levels of education, in particular those who used online information services tended to be at graduate level. A higher proportion of respondents with lower levels of education used the Telephone Helpline when compared with those who used online services. Users of the online services were significantly younger than respondents who used the telephone helpline.

Conclusion
The results from this evaluation are similar to those found internationally where it has been identified that those who seek information on cancer tend to have higher levels of education. Users of the telephone helpline tended to be older and have lower levels of education than online users. CISs need to make a concerted effort to engage with individuals who do not fit the profile of the typical user of the services, that is, men, the less well educated, older and non-nationals. In particular telephone helplines are an important source of cancer information and support for older people.