Assessing the needs of healthcare information for assisting family caregivers in cancer fear management: a mindsponge-based approach

Abstract This study aimed to examine how types of demanded healthcare information are associated with the need for support in cancer fear management among family caregivers (FCGs) of female cancer patients. The mindsponge theory was used in conceptual development and interpretation. Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics were used for statistical analysis on a dataset of 48 spouses (husbands) and 12 other family members in five congested communities of Surabaya, Indonesia. Among the six types of healthcare information, FCGs with higher demand for cancer-specific information (M Information_Cancer_FearManagement = 0.41; S Information_Cancer_FearManagement = 0.25) and information on cancer physical needs (M Information_PhysicalNeed_FearManagement = 0.32; S Information_PhysicalNeed_FearManagement = 0.21) were more likely to need support in reducing the fear of female cancer patients. Meanwhile, FCGs with a higher demand for information on support services (M Information_SupportServices_FearManagement = − 0.33; S Information_SupportServices_FearManagement = 0.22) were less likely to need support to reduce cancer patients’ fear. Other types of healthcare information have ambiguous effects on the need for support in reducing cancer-induced fear. This study underscores that the demanded cancer-specific information, such as information on cancer prognosis and therapeutic outcomes, and the demanded cancer physical needs information are priorities in information disclosure to FCGs to assist their role in cancer fear management.