Communication with Parents
and Patients Throughout the
Cancer Treatment Process
A Comparison of the Online Media of The Dana-Farber Boston
Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorder Center, St. Jude’s
Children’s Research Hospital, and Tufts Medical Center’s
Floating Hospital for Children
Sarah Soffer
Tufts University School of Medicine-PHPD
MPH in Health Communication Candidate
Dana Farber Boston Children’s Cancer and
Blood Disorders Center
 Comprehensive Cancer
Treatment
 Physical, Psychosocial,
Mental Health
 In-House Supportive
Services and Resources
 Long-term Follow-Up Care
and Support
 Target Audience: Parents of
Prospective Patients,
Survivors of Pediatric
Cancer
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
 Strong Online Presence
 Recognizable Institutes
 Large amount of educational
material for parents
Weaknesses
 Health literacy issue in some
YouTube videos
 Lack of kid-friendly educational
resources for patients
 Limited interactive media
 Anecdotal information for
parents
 Difficult to navigate between
sites
 Multiple formats to media
 Multiple twitter and facebook
accounts
 Visually appealing media
 Not well targeted
SWOT Analysis (cont’d)
Opportunities
 High demand for cancerrelated educational
materials
 Parent and patient
 High/Increasing online
presence of pediatric and
parent populations
Threats
 Large amount of unreliable
information circulating
 Appeal of instead visiting
single-institution cancer
care center websites
Recommendations for Dana
Farber/Boston Children’s
Low Resource
 Creation of Center-specific
Twitter and Facebook
Accounts
Resource Intensive
 Portion of website with
patient-directed
explanations of
 Treatment
 Services
 Fleisch-Kincaid Revision of
YouTube Informational Videos
 Interactive Introductions to
Facility and Staff
 Tour
St. Jude’s Children’s Research
Hospital
 Comprehensive Treatment of
Pediatric Cancer
 Survivorship Care and Support
 Radiation Oncology, General
Oncology, and Cancer Prevention
Research
 Clinical Trials of Cancer Treatment
 Need-blind Accommodation
 Fundraising
 Target Audience- Parents of
Prospective Patients, Survivors of
Pediatric Cancer
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
 Highly publicized
 Written resources for
former patients and
parents
 Survivorship portion of
website
 Strong YouTube, Facebook,
and Twitter presence
 Easy to Navigate
Weaknesses
 Health Literacy Issue with
media for parents
 Lack of age appropriate
educational materials for
patients
 Survivorship materials aimed
at adults, not adolescents
 Lack of visual appeal
 Lack of anecdotal/videobased education on YouTube
SWOT Analysis (cont’d)
Opportunities
 Parents and patients eager
to seek and receive
information
 Nationally recognized
organization
 Strong celebrity
connections
Threats
 Inaccurate or misleading
cancer-related websites
 Competition from other
cancer-related charities
 Emphasis on fundraising
and research
Recommendations for St. Jude’s
Low Resource
 Twitter targeting current
patients and families
Resource Intensive
 Separate portion of website
targeted at
current/prospective patients
 Fleisch-Kincaid revision of
illness descriptions
 Patient-perspective YouTube
videos
 Survivorship portion directed
at adolescents/young adults
 More visual, relevant
Floating Hospital for Children at
Tufts Medical Center
 “Promote Health and
Prevent Disease”
 Treat Pediatric Cancer
Patients
 Long Term Survivorship
Care
 Add to Research on More
Effective Treatments and
Forms of Prevention
 Target Audience- Parents of
Prospective Patients
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
 Visually Appealing Website
 Lots of Information for
Parents
 Health Literacy
Considerations
 Ease of Navigation
 Many Specific Descriptions of
Available Family Services
 Financial, Educational,
Support
Weaknesses
 Lack of Specific YouTube
and Twitter Accounts
 Low Video Quality
 No Descriptions of Illnesses
 Limited Interactive
Components
 No Information Aimed at
Patient
SWOT Analysis (cont’d)
Opportunities
 Parents and Patients Eager
to Seek and Receive
Information
 Newly Implemented Reid R.
Saco AYA Clinic
 Recently Received AYA
Website Grant
Threats
 More Visible Treatment
Centers
 Great Deal of Incorrect of
Misleading Cancer-Related
Information
Recommendations for the
Floating Hospital
Low Resource
 Separate Facebook Account
for Cancer Center
 Create YouTube Account to
House Existing Videos
 Add Explanations of
Diseases in Index
Resource Intensive
 Separate Section Speaking
Directly to Children
 Outlining Services, What to
Expect
 Interactive Component
 Separate Survivorship and
Long Term Care Section
Comparison of Organizations
DanaFarber/Boston
Children’s
St. Jude’s
Floating
Hospital
Health Literacy
Clear written
descriptions of
services, but
complex video
explanations of
illnesses
Medical jargon
used
-Circular
glossary
Description of
services and
treatment
process easy to
understand and
process
Education of
Parents
Website
targeted at
parents
-Description of
illnesses and
services
Website
targeted at
parents
-Descriptions of
illnesses
-Emphasis on
financial
Parts of website
targeted at
parents
-Description of
services
-Emphasis on
financial
-YouTube Video
Comparison of Organizations (cont’d)
DanaFarber/Boston
Children’s
St. Jude’s
Floating
Hospital
Social Media
(Twitter,
Facebook)
No distinct
account
Emphasis on
fundraising over
education
No distinct
account
Education of
Children
“Your Child”
Explanations
Survivorship
guide aimed at
adults
“Your Child”
Explanations
Interactive
Components
Social Media and Limited to
Thriving blog
Social Media
Limited to
Social Media
Ease of
Navigation
Low
Strong
Strong
Thank You!
Are There Any Questions?