1. The Effects of Log-in Behaviors and Web Reviews on Patient Consultation in Online Health Communities: Longitudinal Study
- Author
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Xiangbin Yan, Jiahua Jin, Qin Chen, and Tingting Zhang
- Subjects
Longitudinal study ,web reviews ,020205 medical informatics ,Online health communities ,Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics ,education ,R858-859.7 ,digital health ,Health Informatics ,02 engineering and technology ,Affect (psychology) ,Login ,online health communities ,Physicians ,0502 economics and business ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,eHealth ,Humans ,Longitudinal Studies ,Practical implications ,Referral and Consultation ,Medical education ,Original Paper ,Internet ,business.industry ,05 social sciences ,Information technology ,patient consultation ,Digital health ,log-in behavior ,Telemedicine ,050211 marketing ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 ,business ,Psychology ,Information Technology ,offline status - Abstract
Background With the rapid development of information technology and web-based communities, a growing number of patients choose to consult physicians in online health communities (OHCs) for information and treatment. Although extant research has primarily discussed factors that influence the consulting choices of OHC patients, there is still a lack of research on the effects of log-in behaviors and web reviews on patient consultation. Objective This study aims to explore the impact of physicians’ log-in behavior and web reviews on patient consultation. Methods We conducted a longitudinal study to examine the effects of physicians’ log-in behaviors and web reviews on patient consultation by analyzing short-panel data from 911 physicians over five periods in a Chinese OHC. Results The results showed that the physician’s log-in behavior had a positive effect on patient consultation. The maximum number of days with no log-ins for a physician should be 20. The two web signals (log-in behavior and web reviews) had no complementary relationship. Moreover, the offline signal (ie, offline status) has different moderating effects on the two web signals, positively moderating the relationship between web reviews and patient consultation. Conclusions Our study contributes to the eHealth literature and advances the understanding of physicians’ web-based behaviors. This study also provides practical implications, showing that physicians’ log-in behavior alone can affect patient consultation rather than complementing web reviews.
- Published
- 2021