Abstract
Online health communities (OHCs) should utilize health-care knowledge for enhancing online patient support. To examine the use of existing OHCs to identify the challenges and strategies of enhancing online patients’ decision-making support, we conducted a descriptive study to evaluate the information availability, user availability and knowledge usability in 100 carefully-selected health-related websites. On the basis of criteria for effective OHCs, we used three evaluation instruments for health-care professionals to review and score the websites. Questionnaire results were examined from the perspective of information, user and knowledge support. Results corroborate that over 80% of the websites facilitate effective social functions, whereas only 33% provide health-care decision-making services to online patients. Approximately 46% of them satisfy four or five effective OHCs’ criteria. Three of them only offer the functions of patients’ charts and journals to support health data management. Although the existing OHCs are facilitated with good social interaction and support, only a few can assist patients in making effective health-care decisions, not to mention properly using health-care knowledge support.
Highlights
Online systems have emerged as important channels by which traditional industries provide services [1]
This study addresses three questions related to online health communities (OHCs) by conducting a descriptive study on 100 carefully-selected health-related websites
On the basis of these questions, this study aims to examine information availability, user availability and knowledge usability of 100 health-related websites by developing three evaluation instruments for reviewing websites
Summary
Online systems have emerged as important channels by which traditional industries provide services [1] Given their convenience, many online health communities (OHCs) have been established for patients, especially those who suffer from chronic diseases [2,3,4]. Many online health communities (OHCs) have been established for patients, especially those who suffer from chronic diseases [2,3,4] These OHCs integrate social network services to help patients understand and improve their conditions at any place and time [5]. Despite the development of Internet-based services, individuals commonly fail to obtain useful health information related to their illness in OHCs. The reason is that most health-related websites emphasize providing pure news and social functions, rather than decision-making support for patients with health-care knowledge, thereby negatively affecting their personal health [8]. Studies on effective social and knowledge-based support in OHCs are crucial to online patients’ well-being and overall quality of life [9]
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