Preparing women for breast screening mammography : a feasibility study to determine the potential value of an on-line social network and information hub

Robinson, L; Griffiths, M; Wray, J; Ure, CM; Shires, G; Stein Hodgins, J; Hill, C; Hilton, B

Abstract

This feasibility study explored the attitudes of women towards social media for support about breast screening mammography. It sought their ideas about what a dedicated breast screening hub or Digital Support Network (DSN) might comprise; how they would network with other women on the DSN; what format information might take; and whether a health professional should be available on the DSN. Data comprised 94 survey questionnaires and two focus groups; one comprised women in the breast screening population age group, the other was a younger group. A socio-ecological framework was used to identify key influencers and potential barriers for the implementation of a mammography DSN. The study identified issues related to three intersecting concepts which influenced women's behaviour: on-line conversations about health in general; on-line conversations about breast screening mammography and the culture of privacy which makes conversing about intimate health (either face to face or on-line) difficult. Also, the transient nature of the mammography episode (three yearly), could mean an on-line breast screening digital network is challenging to sustain. super-users’ may be needed to continue on-line conversations. The health professional was also seen as essential for moderating potential misinformation shared by women although the participants were also insistent that ‘truth’ be shared.

Citation

Robinson, L., Griffiths, M., Wray, J., Ure, C., Shires, G., Stein Hodgins, J., …Hilton, B. (2015). Preparing women for breast screening mammography : a feasibility study to determine the potential value of an on-line social network and information hub. Radiography, 21(4), 308-314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radi.2015.07.004

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 7, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Jul 30, 2015
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2015
• Deposit Date: Oct 19, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 7, 2017
• Journal: Radiography
• Print ISSN: 1078-8174
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 21
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 308-314
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radi.2015.07.004
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.radi.2015.07.004
• Related Public URLs: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/10788174