Users of the Telephone Cancer Information Service Becomes Better at Coping With Their Situation

Background: More than 37,000 Danes were diagnosed with cancer last year and approximately 285,000 Danes are cancer survivors. The Danish Cancer Society offers professional information and counseling free of charge to all people affected by cancer. Last year, the telephone cancer information service Kræftlinjen received more than 14,000 inquiries, the majority from patients, relatives and bereaved. User surveys are usually conducted immediately after the users' contact with the cancer information service, and thus, only capture the users' experiences with and short-term effects of the contact. To investigate the long-term effects, a follow-up survey was recently conducted as a supplement to the latest user survey of the cancer information service. Aim: The follow-up survey aims to investigate the long-term effects of using the cancer information service focusing on the users' perception of their situation after the contact including their perceived changes in behavior and their ability to communicate with others about the disease. Methods: In March-April 2017, users of the cancer information service were encouraged to answer a questionnaire about their experiences with this service. The questionnaire was sent by either mail or e-mail. In total, 461 users participated in this survey. Two hundred and twenty six users (49%) agreed to receive a short follow-up questionnaire three months after their initial contact with the telephone cancer information service. One hundred and thirty six users (60%) participated in this follow-up survey. Results: The majority of the respondents reported that their conversation with the telephone cancer information service led to changes in their perception of their situation (77%) and made them better at coping with their situation (79%). As an example, some participants described that the conversation made them more calm and able to accept their situation, which again led them to feel less stressed and anxious. In addition, many users stated that they had become more able to communicate with others about their disease (66%) and that the contact had let to changes in their behavior (63%). Some participants described to have contacted the hospital or their doctor after their contact with the cancer information service and some described that they had become better at asking health personnel questions about the disease. Others had become more aware of their rights and of looking out for themselves or others. Most participants (77%) stated that they had not felt a need to contact the cancer information service again. Conclusion: The majority of the participants experienced that the cancer information service had made them better capable of coping with their situation.