A Survey on the Development of Database and Network for the Experts in Cancer / 대한의료정보학회지

OBJECTIVE: This research is a basic investigation of collecting experts' opinions for constructing the national cancer expert network. The objective of this research is to evaluate present situation and to use it for the planning of future korean cancer network in the cancer-related area. METHODS: We analyzed the need of the network and degree of information demand for constructing the network from Clinicians and Basic researchers(n=376) who answered themselves 'cancer expert'. The questionnaire consists of 9 questions and it was analyzed by using frequence, t-test and Chi-square. RESULTS: 53.7 percents of respondents answered they are already recognized cancer expert network and 93.5 percents of respondents answered that they need the network. Among the services that would be served by the network, the demand of cancer statistics, development and evaluation of cancer policy, and cancer clinical trials were listed in the high priorities. And recognized societies included in the high priorities were Korean Cancer Study Group, Korean Cancer Association, Korean Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. CONCLUSION: We are going to develop a database and network for the experts to generate, evaluate and verify cancer-related information based on evidence-based cancer information infrastructure. Hence, this research will be contributed to provide fundamental data for activating cancer-related research through joint studies with experts.

Analysis of the Characteristics Appeared in the Cancer Information Provided as a Form of Question and Answer on the Internet / 대한의료정보학회지

This study was carried out to investigate the characteristics of contents and utilization for cancer information that is serviced on the internet in the form of Q&A and FAQ. A total of 947 cases (340 in Q&A and 607 in FAQ) were collected from August 20th to November 20th, 2001. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistical methods regarding the type of service, contents, and cancer included in the contents. The prevalent pattern of cancer information service was FAQ, and the distribution of contents and kind of cancer that were serviced differed depending on their service pattern and resources. The contents for prevention and screening, general understanding of cancer, and rehabilitation appeared more often in FAQ than in Q&A and were also more frequent in cancer specialized websites than any others. This pattern may be because FAQ and cancer specialized websites have a view of contents provider. Clinical symptoms and diagnosis were the contents provided more frequently in Q&A than in FAQ. Additionally, information on breast cancer was the most frequently asked question in regard to major cancer in Korea. However, information on hematopoietic system was the most frequently asked in Q&A. From the results of this study, it is clear that cancer-related information varies according to the cancer types, service patterns, and website characteristics. However, the fundamental difference depends on whether the contents are created in terms of the information user or not. This study demonstrated that there is a difference between users and developers in the requested information regarding available cancer-related. It is therefore necessary to establish a basic plan for appropriate cancer information services according to the needs of the users.