DO VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES MATTER FOR PATIENTS? UNDERSTANDING PATIENTS? BEHAVIOR IN ONLINE HEALTH COMMUNITIES

Abstract

WITH THE WORLDWIDE EXPLOSION OF SOCIAL MEDIA, THE USE OF ONLINE COMMUNITIES IN THE HEALTHCARE LANDSCAPE HAS GROWN DRAMATICALLY IN RECENT YEARS. ONLINE HEALTHCARE COMMUNITIES TYPICALLY PROVIDE DIVERSE HEALTH INFORMATION FACILITATING PATIENTS IN SELF-DIAGNOSIS AND SELF-HEALTH MANAGEMENT. IN THIS THESIS WE STUDY HOW ONLINE COMMUNITIES COULD INFLUENCE ONLINE HEALTH CONSUMERS' HEALTHCARE BEHAVIORS.THE FIRST STUDY FOCUSES ON INVESTIGATING THE INFLUENCE OF ONLINE HEALTHCARE COMMUNITIES ON PATIENTS' ACCEPTANCE OF HEALTHCARE ADVICE THEY RECEIVE ONLINE. SPECIFICALLY, WE SEEK TO STUDY THE EXTENT TO WHICH PATIENTS ARE ACTUALLY WILLING TO FOLLOW THE HEALTH ADVICE THEY RECEIVE FROM THE ONLINE COMMUNITY. IN THE SECOND STUDY WE SEEK TO INVESTIGATE THE INFLUENCE OF ONLINE COMMUNITIES ON PATIENTS' SELF-REGULATED HEALTH MANAGEMENT BEHAVIORS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO EXPLORE AND EVALUATE HOW ONLINE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION COULD INFLUENCE SELF-REGULATED HEALTHCARE GOAL SETTING OF PATIENTS. THIS TH