How Physicians’ Service Quality Affects Patient Consultation in Online Health Communities: A Longitudinal Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qin Chen ◽  
Xiangbin Yan ◽  
Tingting Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Online Health Communities ◽  
Service Outcomes ◽  
Patient Consultation ◽  
Health Communities ◽  
Online Reputation ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND With the dramatic development of Web 2.0, an increasing number of patients and physicians are active in online health communities (OHCs). While extant literature has primarily discussed factors that influence patient consultation in OHCs, there is a lack of a thorough examination of the impact of two dimensions of physicians’ service quality on patients’ choices of physicians for their consulting services. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore the impact of the service delivery process (i.e., physicians’ login behavior) and service outcomes (i.e., online reputation) on patient consultation. METHODS A longitudinal study is conducted to examine the effects of login behavior and online reputation on patient consultation by analyzing short panel data from 779 physicians over five time periods in a Chinese OHC. RESULTS The results indicate that physicians’ service delivery process positively affects patient consultation, specifically with respect to login behavior. The maximum number of days of physicians’ no-login should be 20 days. Two online signals (login behavior and online reputation) are not complementary to each other. In addition, the moderating effects of offline signals (i.e., offline status) on two online signals are different, with the relationship between online reputation and patient consultation being positively moderated by offline status. CONCLUSIONS This study contributes to online service quality and e-health literature by investigating the effects of two dimensions of physicians’ service quality on patient consultation and making a clear distinction between the online and offline signals. This study also provides practical implications, indicating that the service delivery process can affect patient consultation alone, rather than a complementary effect with the service outcomes.

scholarly journals The Effects of Log-in Behaviors and Web Reviews on Patient Consultation in Online Health Communities: Longitudinal Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qin Chen ◽  
Jiahua Jin ◽  
Tingting Zhang ◽  
Xiangbin Yan
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Online Health Communities ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Patient Consultation ◽  
Health Communities ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Positive Effect

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.

Offline Reputation Matters: Physicians’ Online Reputation Bias in Online Health Communities (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Jiang ◽  
Yuxin Sun ◽  
Yuanyuan DANG ◽  
Shanshan Guo ◽  
Shuai Wang
Keyword(s):  
Medical Information ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Online Health Communities ◽  
Health Communities ◽  
The Incentive Mechanism ◽  
Online Reputation ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Online health communities (OHCs) have gradually become an important service platform for patients to communicate with physicians and obtain treatment and related medical information. With the rise of OHCs, an increasing number of scholars have begun to study the incentive mechanism of a physician’s online contribution behavior. However, previous studies have ignored the limited effect of online reputation on a physician’s online contribution and the moderating effect of offline reputation. OBJECTIVE We hypothesized that online reputation shows an inverted U-shaped relation with a physician’s contribution and that offline reputation reduces the inverted U-shaped relation, thus weakening the positive impact of reputation on performance and strengthening the negative impact of reputation performance. METHODS Based on incentive theory and prior studies, we proposed three hypotheses. We collected the panel data of 6,648 physicians from Good Physician, one of the largest OHCs in China. An empirical model was built to test our hypotheses. Additionally, the variables representing online reputation were replaced and the data set was split for the robustness check. RESULTS First, our results support the hypothesis of an inverted U-shaped relationship between a physician’s online reputation and their online contribution behavior(β=-0.127, t=13.624, P<.001). Second, we identify the bipolar impact of online and offline reputation on a physician’s online contribution. Specifically, over a period of time, online reputation will promote the contribution of physicians(slope=1.514, P<.001), while offline reputation will inhibit the contribution. Third, our research shows that offline reputation can weaken the impact of online reputation on a physician’s online contribution. CONCLUSIONS We amended the bias of the positive linear correlation between online reputations and online contributions in OHCs. Moreover, by identifying the moderating effect of offline reputation, we ameliorated the interpreting mechanism of online reputation on a physician’s online contribution. The findings improve our understanding of physicians' online contribution behaviors and contribute to the literature on OHCs. Our research can provide guidance for an OHC to design effective personalized incentive mechanisms and encourage physicians to provide more high-quality services.

EFFECTS OF INTERPERSONAL TRUST AMONG USERS OF ONLINE HEALTH COMMUNITIES ON PATIENT TRUST IN AND SATISFACTION WITH THEIR PHYSICIAN

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Françoise Audrain-Pontevia ◽  
Loick Menvielle
Keyword(s):  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Interpersonal Trust ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Patient Trust ◽  
Online Health Communities ◽  
Health Communities ◽  
The Impact

Objectives:Online Health Communities (OHCs) are increasingly being used by patients in the Web 2.0 era. Today's patients have instant access to a great deal of medical information and contacts. Despite the considerable development of OHCs, little is known regarding the impact on the patient–physician relationship. This research aims at filling this gap and examines how interpersonal trust on peer-to-peer OHCs influences two key relational variables, namely patient trust in the physician and patient satisfaction with the physician. It also investigates their influences on the patient's attitude toward the physician.Methods:Drawing on both the relational and medical literatures, we propose a research model that brings out the relationships between interpersonal trust in OHCs, and patients’ trust, satisfaction and attitude toward the physician. We then conduct a quantitative survey of 512 OHC users in France, using structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses.Results:Our findings indicate that interpersonal trust in OHCs exerts a positive influence on both patients’ trust in and satisfaction with their physician. It also highlights that these two relational variables have a positive influence on patient attitude toward the physician. Our findings also indicate that patient trust influences patient satisfaction with the physician.Conclusions:This research highlights the importance of OHCs, which can be seen as valuable instruments for enhancing patient–physician relationships. It shows that healthcare managers should seek to enhance interpersonal trust among OHC users, because this trust has a positive influence on patient satisfaction with, trust in and attitude toward the physician.

scholarly journals The Influence of Doctors’ Online Reputation on the Sharing of Outpatient Experiences: Empirical Study (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Wang ◽  
Hong Wu ◽  
Xueqin Lei ◽  
Jingxuan Shen ◽  
Zhanchun Feng
Keyword(s):  
Disease Severity ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Post Treatment ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Medical Quality ◽  
Health Communities ◽  
Online Reputation ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND The internet enables consumers to evaluate products before purchase based on feedback submitted by like-minded individuals. Displaying reviews allows customers to assess comparable experiences and encourages trust, increased sales, and brand positivity. Customers use reviews to inform decision making, whereas organizations use reviews to predict future sales. Prior studies have focused on manufactured products, with little attention being paid to health care services. In particular, whether patients prefer to use websites to discuss doctors’ reputation has so far remained unanswered. OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate how patient propensity to post treatment experiences changes based on doctors’ online reputation (medical quality and service attitude) in delivering outpatient care services. Further, this study examines the moderating effects of hospitals’ (organizational) online reputation and disease severity. METHODS Fractional logistic regression was conducted on data collected from 7183 active doctors in a Chinese online health community to obtain empirical results. RESULTS Our findings show that patients prefer to share treatment experiences for doctors who have a higher medical quality and service attitude (β<sub>service attitude</sub>=.233; <i>P</i>&lt;.001 and β<sub>medical quality</sub>=.052; <i>P</i>&lt;.001) and who work in hospitals with a higher online reputation (β=.001; <i>P</i>&lt;.001). Patients are more likely to share experiences of doctors who treat less severe diseases, as opposed to those treating severe diseases (β=−.004; <i>P</i>=.009). In addition, hospitals’ online reputation positively (negatively) moderates the relationship between medical quality (service attitude) and patient propensity to post treatment experiences, whereas the moderating effects of disease severity on doctors’ online reputation are negative. CONCLUSIONS Our research contributes to both theory and practice by extending the current understanding of the impact of individual reputation on consumer behavior. We investigate the moderating effects of organizational reputation and consumer characteristics in online health communities.

Cognitive mechanisms underlying interaction and contribution in online health communities: the perspectives of doctors and patients

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Wang ◽  
Jia Wang ◽  
Qiao Li
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Group Analysis ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Dual Processes ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Health Communities ◽  
Knowledge Contribution ◽  
Health Communities ◽  
The Impact

PurposeActive interaction and knowledge contribution are vital yet challenging elements of the sustainable development of online health communities (OHCs). To investigate the cognitive mechanisms underlying these behaviours in doctors' and patients' use of OHCs, this study develops a theoretical model to examine the relationships among cognitive modes, patterns of interaction, perceived usefulness, and contribution behaviour and the impact of user identity on these relationships.Design/methodology/approachTo test the research hypotheses, structural equation modelling and multiple-group analysis were used to analyse survey data from 207 doctors and 213 patients.FindingsThe results indicate that dual processes and perceived usefulness are the key cognitive antecedents of interaction and knowledge contribution, respectively. However, the correlation of the rational mode and instrumental interaction is significantly stronger in the doctors' group than in the patients' group, while a stronger correlation between the experiential mode and instrumental interaction is observed in the patients' group.Practical implicationsThese findings support the development of information and system strategies to support the operation of dual processes underlying doctors' and patients' instrumental and affective interactions, facilitate evaluation and sense-making of interaction activities, and motivate knowledge contribution.Originality/valueThis study uncovers the invariance and variability in the relationships between salient cognitive activities and behavioural responses in doctors' and patients' use of OHCs and the impact of user identity on variability.

scholarly journals Assessing the Impact of Service Quality on Customers and Operators: Empirical Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 207
Author(s):  
Mohammad Sultan Ahmad Ansari ◽  
Jamal Ahmad Farooquie ◽  
Said Gattoufi
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Operational Performance ◽  
Service Delivery System ◽  
Telecom Service ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Original Equipment Manufacturers

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the impact of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction, Customer Loyalty and Operational Performance of telecom service industry in Sultanate of Oman. It also investigate how technology adds value to service delivery system and improvement of Service Quality. The empirical data were collected by administering 1,450 questionnaires and out of which 888 completed and usable responses were retrieved. The study is first of kind that evaluated well-established chain of service i.e. services provided by Original Equipment Manufacturers to Telecom Service Providers and further service provided by the Telecom Service Providers to the End Users. The feedback was taken on forward and backward chain to evaluate comprehensive service chain, instead of evaluating an individual chain i.e. Service provided by Original Equipment Manufacturers to Telecom Service Providers or vice versa or from Telecom Service Providers to the End Users. Questionnaires feedback was taken from comprehensive chain of services, i.e. forward and backward chain feedback was considered. Research findings suggest that technological support would improve service delivery system and service organizations shall put special emphasize on Service Quality for achieving critical success, which would improve overall Customer Satisfaction, Customer Loyalty, Operational Performance and Firm Profitability.

Do online health communities enhance patient–physician relationship? An assessment of the impact of social support and patient empowerment

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 154-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Francoise Audrain-Pontevia ◽  
Loick Menvielle
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Patient Empowerment ◽  
Online Health Communities ◽  
User Empowerment ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Physician Relationship ◽  
Health Communities ◽  
The Impact

The diffusion of the Web 2.0 has made it possible for patients to exchange on online health communities, defined as computer-mediated communities dedicated to health topics, wherein members can build relationships with other members. It is now acknowledged that online health communities provide users not only with medical information but also with social support with no time or geographical boundaries. However, in spite of their considerable interest, there is still a paucity of research as to how online health communities alter the patient–physician relationship. This research aims at filling this gap and examines how online health communities, while providing users with computer-mediated social support and empowerment, impact the patient–physician relationship. Six hypotheses are proposed and tested. A survey was developed and 328 responses were collected from online patient groups in Canada in 2016. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling. All but one hypothesis are validated. The results show that user computer-mediated social support positively influences user empowerment and participation during the consultation, which in turn determines user commitment to the relationship with the physician. Importantly and contrary to our expectations, user empowerment is found to be significantly but negatively related to user commitment with the physician.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document