Investigating Romanian Healthcare Consumer Behaviour in Online Communities: Qualitative Research on Negative eWOM

Abstract

The internet has become an important source of information for consumers because of its accessibility, speed and the volume of information it can carry. Consumers rely on information from other people in order to make purchasing decisions, especially in uncertain situations (Mitchell & McGoldrick, 1996). Consumers not only search for medical information online and use word of mouth (WOM) from other consumers who have similar problems or have experiences of related treatments, but also share their experiences, opinions and knowledge with other consumers through online communities such as forums and blogs. Exploratory qualitative research targeting Romanian women who are active in an online gynaecological community forum was conducted. The aim of the research is to examine the content of the messages they post, from different perspectives such as the type of support messages, the reasons they post messages and the emotions attached to the messages. The data was explored using the netnography method, and a content analysis was applied to the messages posted on the forums. Furthermore, the study focused on the linguistic behaviour of female online healthcare consumers. The findings showed that the messages posted contained more positive eWOM than negative, but that the negative eWOM postings had a powerful impact linguistically. The reasons for posting such messages were connected to the concept of frustration, and the emotion most often expressed in the messages was anger.