Therapeutic connection: Help seeking on the Internet for persons with implantable cardioverter defibrillators

Purpose The goal of this study was to understand common themes and shared meanings of help seeking on the Internet for persons with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).Setting The study took place over an on-line, informal, public, electronic bulletin board for persons with ICDs.Sample The sample included 469 postings by 75 users during 15 months.Results Four related themes and 1 constitutive pattern were constructed. Themes included seeking and giving meaningful information; sharing personal perspectives; storytelling as common grounding; and supportive interacting. The constitutive pattern is "therapeutic connection."Implications Persons with ICDs are proactive, using Internet bulletin boards to seek practical information and support in coping with daily anxieties of living with an ICD. This form of self-directed patient education focuses on common experiences of illness versus information obtained from health care providers.