Boundary Negotiation for Patient-Provider Communication via WeChat in China

Abstract

Patient-Provider Communication (PPC) is crucial to the quality and outcome of healthcare practices. With the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), ICT mediated PPC has become increasingly commonplace, and has been extensively studied. However, prior research has primarily focused on the institutional use of ICTs for PPC, with institutional support and regulation, while the personal use of ICTs for this purpose has been mostly under-explored. This paper presents a qualitative study of the use of WeChat, a general mobile social application, that has been personally appropriated for PPC in China. Sixteen patients and seven physicians, who had experience using WeChat for PPC, were recruited and interviewed to gain an understanding from both perspectives on how WeChat was utilized for the communication purposes between them. We found that the use of WeChat helped to strengthen the relationship between patients and providers, and provided a psychological reassurance that the structure of the current Chinese health system doesn't provide. Most importantly, we found that the use of WeChat was dependent on the negotiation and management of boundaries that address various concerns associated with the use of ICTs for PPC, such as workload and safety. In this paper, we will highlight the boundary negotiation practices and discuss implications based on the findings.