Anonymity Versus Privacy: Selective Information Sharing in Online Cancer Communities

• Published in: Journal of medical Internet research Vol. 16; no. 5; p. e126
• Main Authors: Frost, Jeana, Vermeulen, Ivar E, Beekers, Nienke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Canada Journal of Medical Internet Research 01.05.2014; Gunther Eysenbach MD MPH, Associate Professor; JMIR Publications Inc; JMIR Publications
• Subjects: Activities of daily living; Analysis of Variance; Anonymity; Cancer; Care and treatment; Clinical information; Community; Computer Security; Computerized medical records; Confidentiality; Cost benefit analysis; Costs; Electronic Health Records; Expected values; Factor analysis; Female; Gender; Health aspects; Health costs; Health information; Health status; Humans; Identity; Information communication; Information Dissemination; Information sharing; Information systems; Interdisciplinary aspects; Internet; Interpersonal Relations; Male; Medical prognosis; Medical records; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Middle Aged; Neoplasms; Online health care information services; Original Paper; Patients; Personal health; Personal information; Privacy; Privacy, Right of; Regression Analysis; Safety and security measures; Self-Help Groups - ethics; Situational factors; Social networks; Treatment preferences; User generated content; Virtual communities; Weighing; Women; privacy; anonymity; cancer; online systems; Health 2.0; confidentiality

Active sharing in online cancer communities benefits patients. However, many patients refrain from sharing health information online due to privacy concerns. Existing research on privacy emphasizes data security and confidentiality, largely focusing on electronic medical records. Patient preferences...