Online Patient Information about Breast Cancer – A Discourse Analysis

Abstract

Adequate information is crucial for patient participation in health trajectories. The objective of this study is to analyse how online health information about cancer is organised and presented. Updated information about breast cancer in Norway is available through different Web portals, provided by different intermediaries. The Norwegian Directorate of Health offers information on helsenorge.no (1); the interest organisation, the Norwegian Cancer Society, informs about breast cancer on their Web portal (2); and the patient organisation, The Breast Cancer Society, offers information for its members on a separate webpage (3). These Web portals provide information and communication services for citizens. In a critical discourse analytic approach, this study analyses and discusses how the information offered aligns with the objectives of patient participation.