COPING WITH CANCER - THE IMPACT OF THE CANCER INFORMATION-SERVICE ON PATIENTS AND SIGNIFICANT OTHERS - PART 6

The Cancer Information Service (CIS) has been the voice of the Nationa l Cancer Institute (NCI)for more than 20 gears. In 1997, the CIS telep hone service received 14,689 inquiries from the public about coping wi th cancer and its consequences (total calls = 500,000). In a random sa mple survey of 2,489 CIS callers conducted in 1996, respondents who st ated they called the CIS for coping information were asked to evaluate the information provided by the CIS, overall satisfaction with this i nformation, and what impact this information had on patients and signi ficant others. Most of those,cho called about coping were not the pati ents (33%) themselves; rather, they were significant others of patient s (spouses/partners [21%], parents [16%], friends/coworkers [11%], oth er family [19%], other [9%]). The information received was new to most callers (greater than or equal to 93%). Respondents were satisfied,vi th the information (92%) and felt the CIS information specialist was k nowledgeable (95%) and trustworthy (96%). Respondents (patients/signif icant others) stated that the information made it easier to adjust to the illness (52%/80%), reassured them (68%/69%), and helped them find community support (34%/39%). Patients and significant others evaluated the CI'S information exchange differently; significant others rated i t higher than did patients. Results indicated that the CIS model of he alth communications had a positive impact on persons coping with a dia gnosis of cancer. Further research is needed to understand how the inf ormation needs of patients differ from those of their significant othe rs, and training is needed to tailor the information exchange to meet those unique needs.