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.