TY  - JOUR
AU  - Memenga, Paula
AU  - Baumann, Eva
AU  - Luetke Lanfer, Hanna
AU  - Reifegerste, Doreen
AU  - Geulen, Julia
AU  - Weber, Winja
AU  - Hahne, Andrea
AU  - Müller, Anne
AU  - Weg-Remers, Susanne
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/8/28
TI  - Intentions of Patients With Cancer and Their Relatives to Use a Live Chat on Familial Cancer Risk: Results From a Cross-Sectional Web-Based Survey
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e45198
VL  - 25
KW  - live chat
KW  - technology acceptance
KW  - familial cancer risk
KW  - Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology
KW  - cancer information seeking
KW  - patients and relatives with cancer
KW  - patients with cancer
KW  - cancer risk
KW  - genetic testing
KW  - diagnosis
KW  - severity
KW  - cross-sectional survey
AB  - Background: An important prerequisite for actively engaging in cancer prevention and early detection measures, which is particularly recommended in cases of familial cancer risk, is the acquisition of information. Although a lot of cancer information is available, not all social groups are equally well reached because information needs and communicative accessibility differ. Previous research has shown that a live chat service provided by health professionals could be an appropriate, low-threshold format to meet individual information needs on sensitive health topics such as familial cancer risk. An established German Cancer Information Service is currently developing such a live chat service. As it is only worthwhile if accepted by the target groups, formative evaluation is essential in the course of the chat service’s development and implementation. Objective: This study aimed to explore the acceptance of a live chat on familial cancer risk by patients with cancer and their relatives (research question [RQ] 1) and examine the explanatory power of factors associated with their intentions to use such a service (RQ2). Guided by the Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2), we examined the explanatory power of the following UTAUT2 factors: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and habit, supplemented by perceived information insufficiency, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and cancer diagnosis as additional factors related to information seeking about familial cancer. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey via a German web-based access panel in March 2022 that was stratified by age, gender, and education (N=1084). The participants are or have been diagnosed with cancer themselves (n=144) or have relatives who are or have been affected (n=990). All constructs were measured with established scales. To answer RQ1, descriptive data (mean values and distribution) were used. For RQ2, a blockwise multiple linear regression analysis was conducted. Results: Overall, 32.7% of participants were (rather) willing, 28.9% were undecided, and 38.4% were (rather) not willing to use a live chat on familial cancer risk in the future. A multiple linear regression analysis explained 47% of the variance. It revealed that performance expectancy, social influence, habit, perceived susceptibility, and perceived severity were positively associated with the intention to use a live chat on familial cancer risk. Effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, information insufficiency, and cancer diagnosis were not related to usage intentions. Conclusions: A live chat seems promising for providing information on familial cancer risk. When promoting the service, the personal benefits should be addressed in particular. UTAUT2 is an effective theoretical framework for explaining live chat usage intentions and does not need to be extended in the context of familial cancer risk. 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - https://www.jmir.org/2023/1/e45198
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/45198
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37639311
DO  - 10.2196/45198
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/45198
ER  -