Comparison Of Health Care-Related Social Media And Internet Usage Between Patients Treated With Curative And Palliative Intent.

173Background: Cancer patients (pts) are increasingly searching online for information and support. Online resource usage and preferences may differ between patients treated with curative versus palliative intent. Methods: Cancer pts completed a cross-sectional survey at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, assessing their usage and perceptions of social media and the internet with regards to their cancer. Associations between patients’ responses and treatment intent were evaluated univariably (t-tests, chi-squared tests) and multivariably (linear/logistic regression). Results: In a univariable analysis comparing 65 palliative pts (PALL) and 222 curative pts, PALL were more likely to be older (p u003c 0.001) and less likely to be currently employed or a student (p u003c 0.001); they were less likely to use the internet (91% vs. 97%, p = 0.03), social media (68% vs. 87%, p u003c 0.001), and used social media less frequently than curative patients (66% vs. 83%, p = 0.01). PALL were less likely to be interested in an online...