Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Jul 9, 2025
Date Accepted: Jan 30, 2026
From Searching to Coping, How Chinese Breast Cancer Patients Navigate Online Health Information: Qualitative Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
With the development of digital health platforms, Chinese breast cancer patients are increasingly relying on online resources to search for disease-related information. Proper utilization of online health information by breast cancer patients is crucial for understanding disease information and participating in treatment decisions. However, in the face of the large amount and complexity of information, it is still unclear how patients can make psychological adjustments and behavioral responses. Problems such as variable information quality and conflicting information are also affecting the cognitive and treatment decision-making process of breast cancer patients.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to explore the process of searching for, evaluating, and responding to online health information among Chinese breast cancer patients.
Methods:
This qualitative study employed semi-structured, in-depth face-to-face interviews to collect data. A total of 18 female breast cancer patients were recruited from a tertiary oncology hospital in China using purposive sampling to ensure diversity in age, educational background, and treatment stage. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results:
A total of three themes and 11 sub-themes were summarized in this study, which were search behavior (search motivation, search channel, search timing, and stage change); cognitive judgment (truthfulness judgment, applicability assessment, cognitive distress under information conflict, information meaning construction); and coping strategies (problem-oriented coping, emotion-regulating coping, avoidance coping, and socially supportive coping).
Conclusions:
This study reveals how Chinese breast cancer patients search for, evaluate, and respond to online health information through diverse behavioral and cognitive strategies. The findings highlight the need for tailored health education and psychological support to help patients navigate conflicting or overwhelming information, and to promote informed decision-making in the digital health context.
Citation
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Copyright
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