When patients go online for information on breast cancer and mammography, what do they want to know? A team of researchers from New York University Langone Hospital in Brooklyn and the department of radiology at the New York University School of Medicine in New York City examined this very question, publishing findings in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

Using Quora, a question-and-answer website, the researchers conducted a content analysis of posted questions containing the keywords “mammogram” and “mammography.” They then analyzed the content of each question while tracking the number of responses and views.

“Although evidence suggests that the majority of patients prefer to discuss medical concerns with a health professional and that a physician recommendation is a strong determinant of screening, it is important to acknowledge that many individuals increasingly seek health information and advice from online sources,” wrote lead author Samantha L. Heller, PhD, MD, New York University School of Medicine, and colleagues.

More than 197,000 views of mammogram or mammography-related questions were identified. Researchers focused specifically on 51 questions and 172 responses by medical professionals and 121 questions and 172 responses by nonmedical users.

The most queried topics were mammographic efficacy (31 percent) and mammographic screening guidelines (20 percent). A majority of the responses supported mammography screenings, with most medical professional respondents recommending screening at age 40. Among nonmedical users, 18 percent were against screening mammography. Medical society websites and journal articles were the most commonly references sources among medical professional and nonmedical users, respectively.

“Our study highlights the critical necessity of engaging and interacting with patients in such social media platforms and by doing so as self-identified radiologists with the training and knowledge to answer patient queries,” the authors wrote. “It is relatively simple to use a simple search engine to browse Q&A sites like Quora, to post a response to a user query, and finally, to follow and commit to the conversation. If we do not begin to read, respond to, and engage with these social media sites, we may lose the chance to shape dialogue and to help patients who are actively seeking answers about their healthcare.”