Table 3.
Patient survey questions, and means and proportions of participants who endorsed online peer support features.
| Variable |
Definition |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Interest in online peer support |
Would you consider using a fertility peer support network that is available online?a |
||
| Online peer support features | An ideal online peer support network should haveb | Mean (SD) | Proportion endorsedc |
| Platform format | Aspects of technology or services provided | ||
| Mobile accessibility | Access online peer support through Smartphone | 4.28 (0.78) | 86.6 |
| Links to other information | External content offered through online peer support network | 4.00 (0.82) | 79.4 |
| Message board by topic | Organized forum with content categories | 3.98 (0.78) | 76.3 |
| ListServ | Option to join electronic mailing list | 3.55 (0.89) | 48.5 |
| Communication | Ways to share or view information | ||
| Q & A with similar peers | Ask and answer questions with peers | 4.11 (0.79) | 81.9 |
| See others' stories/profiles | View other individuals' personal information | 3.89 (0.86) | 71.1 |
| Anonymous posting | Communicate without identification | 3.89 (0.93) | 70.7 |
| Space to share own story | Ability to present one's fertility narrative | 3.68 (0.84) | 57.7 |
| Individual support | Methods of engaging in more personal or intensive support | ||
| Private messaging | One-on-one communication not visible to other users | 3.85 (0.91) | 67.0 |
| Match to peer supporter | Partner with trained fertility support volunteer | 3.59 (0.91) | 51.3 |
| Connect to meet offline | Opportunity to meet face-to-face | 3.37 (0.94) | 37.9 |
| Monitoring | A health professional or non-professional to review communication and content | ||
| Monitoring by health professional | Presence of health professional who reviews content and communication of users | 4.03 (0.85) | 75.7 |
| Monitoring by non-professional | Presence of non-professional who reviews content and communication of users | 2.94 (1.05) | 25.0 |
Q & A, questions and answers; SD, standard deviation.
a
No, maybe, yes.
b
1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, 5 = strongly agree.
c
Endorsement includes ratings of agree or strongly agree.