Related Experiment Videos
Therapeutic connection: help seeking on the Internet for persons with implantable cardioverter defibrillators
S S Dickerson1, D M Flaig, M C Kennedy
1State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Nursing,14214-3079, USA.
Purpose:
The goal of this study was to understand common themes and shared meanings of help seeking on the Internet for persons with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).
Setting:
The study took place over an on-line, informal, public, electronic bulletin board for persons with ICDs.
Sample:
The sample included 469 postings by 75 users during 15 months.
Results:
Four related themes and 1 constitutive pattern were constructed. Themes included seeking and giving meaningful information; sharing personal perspectives; storytelling as common grounding; and supportive interacting. The constitutive pattern is "therapeutic connection."
Implications:
Persons with ICDs are proactive, using Internet bulletin boards to seek practical information and support in coping with daily anxieties of living with an ICD. This form of self-directed patient education focuses on common experiences of illness versus information obtained from health care providers.