Abstract
BackgroundOnline patient communities provide new channels for users to access and share medical information. In-depth study of users’ willingness to share information in online patient communities is of great significance for improving the level of information sharing among the patient community and the long-term development of communities.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to build a model of factors affecting patients’ willingness to share medical information from the perspective of both positive and negative utilities. Specifically, we aimed to determine the influence of online information support and privacy concerns, as well as the moderating effect of disease severity and information sensitivity of different patients on their willingness to share.MethodsData from 490 users with experience in online patient communities were collected through a questionnaire survey, and structural equations were applied to empirically verify the model hypotheses.ResultsPrivacy concerns negatively affected the patients’ willingness to share information (P<.001), whereas online information support positively affected patients’ willingness to share information (P<.001), and information sensitivity negatively moderated the impact of online information support on sharing willingness (P=.01). Disease severity positively moderated the impact of privacy concerns on sharing willingness (P=.05). However, the hypotheses that information sensitivity is a negative moderator and disease severity is a positive moderator of the impact of privacy concerns on sharing willingness could not be supported.ConclusionsTo improve the level of user information sharing, the online patient community should design a safe user registration process, ensure the confidentiality of information, reduce the privacy concerns of users, and accurately identify the information needs of patients to provide personalized support services.
Highlights
BackgroundSocial media is increasingly being used by health services to encourage the growth of social support networks among people with health-related issues [1,2]
Privacy concerns negatively affected the patients’ willingness to share information (P
The medical information sharing intentions, disease severity, and perceived health information sensitivity were measured according to the method of Bansal et al [48], and privacy concerns and Online information support (OIS) were measured according to the method of Liang et al [49]
Summary
BackgroundSocial media is increasingly being used by health services to encourage the growth of social support networks among people with health-related issues [1,2]. Through participation on different platforms, patients are able to provide and receive social support in various ways, without the typical barriers and constraints experienced by this population [3]. In this way, problems of information asymmetry, as well as the shortages and uneven distribution of medical resources can be alleviated [4,5]. To obtain information support from other patients in the community, users need to share information on personal medical treatments, medication records, or medical diagnosis. In-depth study of users’ willingness to share information in online patient communities is of great significance for improving the level of information sharing among the patient community and the long-term development of communities
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