Evaluating and providing quality health information for adolescents and young adults with cancer

Abstract

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs, 15-39 years old) are an ideal population to benefit from the ever-expanding number and variety of cancer information and health resources available via the Internet and other digital platforms. However, the ability of individual AYAs to fully utilize such resources depends on their degree of health literacy. Across the trajectory of cancer care, an important role for the oncology clinician is assisting AYAs and caregivers in accessing quality health information consistent with their level of health literacy. Working from the premise that all AYAs with cancer and their caregivers deserve to be empowered with maximal knowledge about their condition, this review provides information to assist oncology clinicians in (1) understanding the variety of contemporary online resources that are currently available, including their strengths and limitations; (2) evaluating the quality of health information; and (3) recommending specific health information resources to their AYA patients.