Table 3.
Coding categories, descriptions, and examples from participant responses about the website
| Category | Description | Example | Valence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website credibility | References to the website, or content as (un)reliable, (in)accurate, or (un)believable. Assessments of credibility often reflected the extent to which the information presented on the website matched participant’s knowledge of cancer or experiences with the CCTs. | “I was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in 1980, with my tumor wrapped around my heart and spine. At the time, there was no cure and very poor odds of survival. However, with surgery, radiation, and 2 years of a highly experimental chemo protocol of 4 different drugs, I survived. I do have MANY late effects, but I am happy to be alive and I fight for all the children fighting cancer every day!!” (Patient, #2) | Positive |
| “Seems to understate the role of the treating doctors in the drug testing process” (Caregiver, #126) | Negative | ||
| “do not be afraid to put the scary facts as well as the good. Cancer is bad and has more bad outcomes than good, do not under play that” (Caregiver, #198) | Neutral | ||
| Website attractiveness | References to the appearance or overall presentation of the website, including the design, color scheme, and presentation of content (e.g., videos). | “The site is well designed and user-friendly” (Caregiver, #127) | Positive |
| “More pictures teaching mechanisms of cancer and treatment instead of just random people posing” (Patient, #75) | Negative | ||
| “The website was overall good, but a little generic” (Patient, #50) | Neutral | ||
| Information effectiveness | References to the website or information as being informative and useful at helping individuals make informed decisions CCTs or increasing confidence and communication with loved ones about CCTs. Information participants would like to see on the website to assist with decision-making was also included in this category. | “I especially like the section for family and friends. They often have questions and that is a great resource. I also like the section with previous patient testimonies and comments. I often look for resale patient opinions about treatments and/or products” (Patient, #67) | Positive |
| “I think the website would help with a lot of questions people may have about cancer treatments like how family and friends can help support their loved one, how much it will cost and the videos are another great way to get information” (Caregiver, #187) | Positive | ||
| “I would like to see more information about how to sign up for current studies in my area” (Patient, #61) | Negative | ||
| Information clarity | References to the website or information as (un)clear or as easy or difficult to understand. | “I thought that the website was laid out in a simple way & was not overwhelming. It clearly listed all the available information” (Caregiver, #200) | Positive |
| “Clear and informative” (Patient, #70) | Positive | ||
| “Easy to digest” (Patient, #104) | Positive |
Examples of negative and neutral responses are included for categories in which they emerged across the data