The Effects of Patient Health Information Seeking in Online Health Communities on Patient Compliance in China: Social Perspective

Abstract

Background Online health communities (OHCs) can alleviate the uneven distribution and use of medical resources and severe hospital congestion. Patients may seek health information through OHCs before or after visiting physicians, which may affect their cognition, health literacy, decision-making preferences, and health-related behaviors such as compliance. Social factors (social support, social presence, and responsiveness) are closely related to patients’ health information–seeking behavior and are significantly considered in OHCs. Objective This study aimed to explore the effects of patients’ health information–seeking behavior (way and effectiveness) on compliance with physicians from the perspectives of patients’ perceived social support, social presence, and responsiveness. Methods This study established a research model from the perspective of social information processing by using the social exchange theory. An anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted with several Chinese OHCs to collect data. Partial least squares and structural equation modeling were adopted to test the hypotheses and develop the model. Results This study received 403 responses, of which 332 were valid, giving a validity rate of 82.4% (332/403). Among the sample, 78.6% (261/332) of the individuals were aged between 20 and 40 years, 59.3% (197/332) were woman, 69.9% (232/332) lived in urban areas, and 50% (166/332) had at least a bachelor’s degree. The reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity were acceptable. Both the way and effectiveness of patients seeking health information through OHCs have a positive impact on their compliance through the mediation of their perceived social support, social presence, and responsiveness from OHCs and other users, and patient compliance can be improved by guiding patient health information–seeking behavior in OHCs from a social perspective. Conclusions This study proposes a research model to corroborate that patient health information–seeking behavior (way and effectiveness) in OHCs exerts positive effects on patient compliance with the treatment and physician’s advice and provides suggestions for patients, physicians, and OHC service providers in China to help guide patients’ health-related behaviors through OHCs to improve patient compliance, patient satisfaction, treatment efficiency, and health outcomes.

A Scale for Measuring Electronic Patient Engagement Behaviors: Development and Validation

“…This fundamental engagement behavior can help patients improve their understanding and awareness of their own diseases, enhance confidence in their ability to care for themselves. [37][38][39] The second dimension, doctor-patient interaction, refers to patients' communication with their healthcare professionals more easily and efficiently in a combined online and offline manner, including request, consultation, feedback and evaluation. [40][41][42][43] The third dimension, social interaction among patients, involves patients using the internet or mobile devices to engage in socializing and sharing with others, including exchanging experiences, seeking advice and emotional support in online patient community.…”

The Effect of Information Exchange Activities on Literacy in Online Health Community: The Evidence from PatientsLikeMe

“…However, inaccuracies or deficiencies in patient-generated information can negatively impact the healthcare process, potentially leading to inaccurate decision-making. Therefore, improving patient knowledge and information searches is crucial for enhancing the accuracy and effectiveness of healthcare decisions [1]. With the rise of patient empowerment and patient engagement, users' active engagement in OHI search activities within OHCs has increased significantly.…”

“…The emergence of information and communication technology has resulted in a paradigm shift in the realm of consumer information dissemination, transitioning from offline channels to online platforms. This transformation has resulted in online health communities (OHCs), representing a novel and consumer-centric agora for sharing valuable information [1]. OHC functions as a virtual environment where consumers share ongoing and spontaneous information, facilitating the acquisition of decision-making insights aligned with their individual goals.…”

“…OHC functions as a virtual environment where consumers share ongoing and spontaneous information, facilitating the acquisition of decision-making insights aligned with their individual goals. This phenomenon has ushered in a paradigmatic shift in the exchange of information between consumers themselves, as well as between consumers and healthcare providers, surpassing the traditional framework of information exchange predominantly initiated by providers and received by consumers [1,2]. OHCs, serving as platforms for information exchange, foster relationship-building among members through a shared medium, enabling users to achieve desired benefits aligned with their respective goals (e.g., geographic, temporal, and privacy-related non-constraints).…”

Critical Analysis and Cross-Comparison Between English and Chinese Websites Providing Online Medical Information for Patients With Adenoid Hypertrophy: Cross-sectional Study

“…This policy has created an isolated internet environment for the enormous domestic user population from mainland China, which has developed its own search engines, social media platforms, and internet content [ 10 ]. For example, the market of for-profit online health communities in China is very prosperous due to the very uneven distribution of medical resources, which indeed help people maintain a healthy lifestyle and reduce the burden on the health care system [ 11 ]. The primary social media platform WeChat also plays an important role in providing medical information, as approximately 63.26% of users use WeChat to obtain health information in China [ 12 ].…”