Building a shared vision for an online cancer survivorship community.

In order to achieve comprehensive, closed-loop care for cancer survivors, new strategies are needed to bring together patients, providers, and support services in local communities. To address this challenge, an online community for cancer survivorship was envisioned and designed collaboratively by cancer survivors, family members, community professionals, and informatics researchers in middle Tennessee. The vision developed by the community members serves as a foundation for medical informatics systems to build capacity in local communities to improve cancer care and social support. Using ecological systems theory and social capital as theoretical frameworks, key themes are identified for the future of communication and collaboration in cancer survivorship.