Identifying and Evaluating sources of colorectal cancer information among referrals to gastroenterologists

Due to the development of new technologies, health information sources have become more diverse. Despite these, there is a limited knowledge about the main sources of cancer information, their usefulness and credibility, and the determinants of source credibility. This study aims to identify and evaluate the main information sources of colorectal cancer (CRC), their usefulness, and credibility of the sources.

This was an applied cross-sectional research performed descriptively in Tehran, 2019. A sample of 386 outpatients who visited gastroenterologists were selcted using non-probability homogeneous purposive sampling. Each respondent filled a self-administered questionnaire designed based on study objectives. Data analysis was performed by descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS software version 21.

Out of 10 sources, Internet (45%), physicians (36.5%), and television (8.1%) were introduced as the main sources of information, respectively. Among the first three sources of information, physicians were perceived as the provider of the most useful information (3.8 out of 5), followed by television (3.5) and friends (3.5). In terms of source credibility, among three sources that received the most responses, physicians ranked first, followed by the Internet and television.

The findings of this study show that the Internet, physicians, and television are the three main sources of CRC information, respectively. Despite the rapid development of new communication technologies, in healthcare setting, interpersonal communication is still more credible than new and mainstream media. The potential of new media and the credibility of professionals provide a proper path to achive health goals.