PLEASE NOTE: the information provided does not constitute medical advice and should not be treated as such. If in doubt about a particular issue, please consult a medical practitioner.

The information links and materials on the BCKOnline site have been selected on the basis of their value to women, their families and friends.

The resources included

• 'scientific', evidence-based materials, medical and research articles
• personal views of consumers, patients and health professionals
• supportive materials which provide details on accessing useful facilities, organizations and support/advocacy groups.

The resource selection process was carried out by 'domain experts' - that is, women with first hand experience of breast cancer and extensive knowledge of the medical, supportive and psychosocial information needs of the breast cancer community. In addition, an extensive study investigating the specific information needs of women with breast cancer and their families was also carried out by the research team. The subsequent selection of materials was based on the data provided by women across all disease stages and age groups. The individuals responsible for the final selection of resources were: Sue Lockwood, Chair of Breast Cancer Action Group (Vic.) and Rosetta Manaszewicz, Steering Committee member, the Breast Cancer Action Group (Vic.).

Stringent 'selection criteria' were developed with the objective of providing users with information that was credible, current, and represented the diversity of views, format presentation and type of information which women indicated they required in the user-needs study. Each resource was therefore selected according to criteria developed for that particular resource category. Whilst it was not mandatory that each resource meet all criteria within its respective category of 'medical', 'supportive' or 'personal', all resources were deemed to meet a majority of the criteria designated for each category. The criteria are listed below:

MEDICAL INFORMATION:

• Is the author and/or publisher of the material clearly identified?
• Is this information current? (i.e. representing existing 'best practice')
• What is the basis of the 'evidence' provided in the material (i.e. does the information rely on results from clinical trials, case studies, or is it simply personal opinion)
• Does the information provide references and/or citations to support any claims made?
• What is the purpose of the material? (i.e. is the material informative or educational, or does it merely advertise a product)
• Has the material undergone any review process such as an editorial board, or a peer-review panel, or is it simply the private publication of an individual?
• How comprehensive is the material? Does the information include details on potential side-effects, or possible alternative treatments?

SUPPORTIVE INFORMATION:

• Is the author and/or publisher of the material clearly identified?
• Is this information current? (i.e. representing existing 'best practice')
• What is the purpose of the material? (i.e. is the material informative or educational, or does it merely advertise a product)
• Does the information provide references and/or citations to support any claims made?

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

• Is the author and/or publisher of the material clearly identified?
• Would this material be of special interest to an Australian audience?
• Does this material represent part of a range of personal views on the subject?