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Exploring strategies for using Social Media to self-manage health care when living with and beyond breast cancer : in-depth qualitative study

Ure, CM; Cooper-Ryan, AM; Condie, JM; Galpin, AJ

Authors

JM Condie



Abstract

Background: As breast cancer survival rates improve and structural health resources are increasingly being stretched, health providers require people living with and beyond breast cancer (LwBBC) to self-manage aspects of their care.

Objective: This study aimed to explore how women use and experience social media to self-manage their psychosocial needs and support self-management across the breast cancer continuum.

Methods: The experiences of 21 women (age range 27-64 years) were explored using an in-depth qualitative approach. The women varied in the duration of their experiences of LwBBC, which facilitated insights into how they evolve and change their self-management strategies over time. Semistructured interviews were analyzed inductively using a thematic analysis, a polytextual analysis, and voice-centered relational methods.

Results: The use of multiple social media platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter, enabled women to self-manage aspects of their care by satisfying needs for timely, relevant, and appropriate support, by navigating identities disrupted by diagnosis and treatment and by allowing them to (re)gain a sense of control. Women described extending their everyday use of multiple platforms to self-manage their care. However, women experienced social media as both empowering and dislocating, as their engagement was impacted by their everyday experiences of LwBBC.

Conclusions: Health care professionals (HCPs) need to be more aware, and open to the possibilities, of women using multiple social media resources as self-management tools. It is important for HCPs to initiate value-free discussions and create the space necessary for women to share how social media resources support a tailored and timely self-managed approach to their unique psychosocial needs.

Citation

Ure, C., Cooper-Ryan, A., Condie, J., & Galpin, A. (2020). Exploring strategies for using Social Media to self-manage health care when living with and beyond breast cancer : in-depth qualitative study. JMIR, 22(5), e16902. https://doi.org/10.2196/16902

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Feb 21, 2020
Online Publication Date May 25, 2020
Publication Date May 25, 2020
Deposit Date Oct 30, 2019
Publicly Available Date Jun 2, 2020
Journal Journal of Medical Internet Research
Print ISSN 1439-4456
Electronic ISSN 1438-8871
Publisher Journal of Medical Internet Research
Volume 22
Issue 5
Pages e16902
DOI https://doi.org/10.2196/16902
Publisher URL https://doi.org/10.2196/16902
Related Public URLs https://www.jmir.org/
Additional Information Additional Information : Article originally called "Social media use when living with and beyond breast cancer : exploring strategies for self-managed healthcare"

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