THE EFFECT OF COMPUTER-MEDIATED SOCIAL SUPPORT IN ONLINE COMMUNITIES ON PATIENT EMPOWERMENT AND DOCTOR-PATIENT COMMUNICATION
Main Article Content
Keywords
Computer-Mediated Social Support (CMSS), Online Communities, Patient Empowerment and Doctor-Patient Communication.
Abstract
Background: Online resources have changed how people manage healthcare processes. Patients seek information about health conditions, treatment guidance, and peer support online, complementary to traditional healthcare trajectories. Online communities have the potential to contribute to the quality of care by increasing patient empowerment; however, there is a gap in research regarding what way online communities contribute to patient empowerment. Aim: The study aimed to test a mechanism through which diabetes patients’ exchange of computer-mediated social support (CMSS) in diabetes online communities influences their sense of empowerment and intention to actively communicate with the doctor in King Saudia Arabia (KSA). Research Design: Descriptive survey design using an Internet survey method. We recruited survey participants from five online communities that have been developed to share diabetes information and are managed by diabetes patients. Subject: participants in the study selected online communities with at least 5,000 community members and at least one posting per day. After selecting five specific online communities, we posted a recruiting message on each community’s website with a link to the survey, so that members could voluntarily follow the link and participate in the survey. At the end, 464 respondents participated in the survey. Tool: four tools: sociodemographic information and health status of the respondents, Social Support Scale, Psychological Health Empowerment Scale, and Intention to actively communicate with the doctor. Results: Diabetes patients who have engaged more in online community activities perceived greater social support from other community members. Perceived CMSS significantly predicted their intention to actively communicate with the doctor through a sense of empowerment. Sense of empowerment was a valid underlying mechanism that explains how patients’ perceived CMSS influences their intention to actively communicate with the doctor. Recommendations: CMSS should be more active in online communities to enhance doctor-patient communication and empower patients. Future studies could expand this model by considering other outcome variables of patient empowerment, such as actual health behaviors or health status.
Downloads
References
1. Jahan F and Siddiqui H. Good Communication between patients improves Health Outcomes. European Journal of Medical and Health Sciences. 2019; 1(4): 1-5. 2. Sukanya S and Amitav B. Internet and Doctor-Patient Relationship: Cross-Sectional Study of Patients' Perceptions and Practices. Indian Journal of Public Health 63(3): 215-19, Jul–Sep 2019. | DOI: 10.4103/ijph.IJPH_392_18 3. Zhang S, Wang J, Chiu Y, Hsu Y Exploring Types of Information Sources Used When Choosing Doctors: Observational Study in an Online Health Care Community J Med Internet Res 2020;22(9): e20910 4. Kruk ME, Gage AD, Arsenault C, Jordan K, Leslie HH, Roder-DeWan S, Adeyi O, Barker P, Daelmans B, Doubova SV, English M, García-Elorrio E, Guanais F, Gureje O, Hirschhorn LR, Jiang L, Kelley E, Lemango ET, Liljestrand J, Malata A, Marchant T, Matsoso MP, Meara JG, Mohanan M, Ndiaye Y, Norheim OF, Reddy KS, Rowe AK, Salomon JA, Thapa G, Twum-Danso NAY, Pate M. High-quality health systems in the Sustainable Development Goals era: time for a revolution. Lancet Glob Health. 2018 Nov;6(11): e1196-e1252. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X (18)30386-3. 5. Tonsaker T, Bartlett G, Trpkov C. Health information on the Internet: gold mine or minefield? Can Fam Physician. 2014 May;60(5):407-8. PMID: 24828994; PMCID: PMC4020634. 6. Bass S B, Ruzek S B, Gordon T F, Fleisher L, McKeown-Conn N, & Moore D. Relationship of Internet health information use with patient behavior and self-efficacy: Experiences of newly diagnosed cancer patients who contact the National Cancer Institute’s cancer information service. Journal of Health Communication, 2006 11, 219-36. 7. Stragier J, Mechant P, De Marez, L, & Cardon G. Computer-Mediated Social Support for Physical Activity: A Content Analysis. Health Education & Behavior, 2018; 45(1): 124-31. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48615317 8. Liu M, Zou X, Chen J, Ma S. Comparative Analysis of Social Support in Online Health Communities Using a Word Co-Occurrence Network Analysis Approach. Entropy (Basel). 2022 Jan 25;24(2):174. doi: 10.3390/e24020174. PMID: 35205469; PMCID: PMC8870956. 9. Wright K. Social Networks, Interpersonal Social Support, and Health Outcomes: A Health Communication Perspective Frontiers in Communication. 2016 DOI:10.3389/fcomm.2016.00010PUBLISHED 10. Abusulttan S. Assessing social support types and their frequencies in an online support group for dentally anxious individuals. Published thesis, University of Sheffield September 2020 11. Giovannini C J, Ferreira J B, Silva J F D, & Ferreira D B. The effects of trust transference, mobile attributes, and enjoyment on mobile trust. Bar Brazilian Administration Review, 2015; 12(1): 88-108. 12. Hajli M N. The role of social support on relationship quality and social commerce. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2014a; 87(7): 17-27. doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2014.05.012 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2014.05.012 13. Hajli M N. A study of the impact of social media on consumers. International Journal of Market Research, 2014b; 56(6): 388-404. 14. Maton K I. Empowering community settings: Agents of individual development, community betterment, and positive social change. American Journal of Community Psychology, 2008; 41, 4–21. doi:10.1007/s10464-007-9148-6. 15. Anderson J M. Empowering patients: Issues and strategies. Social Science & Medicine, 1996; 43, 697–705. 16. Anderson R M, & Funnell M. Patient empowerment: Reflections on the challenge of fostering the adoption of a new paradigm. Patient Education & Counseling, 2005; 57, 153–157. 17. Mesko B, Győrffy Z. The Rise of the Empowered Physician in the Digital Health Era: Viewpoint. J Med Internet Res. 2019 Mar 26;21(3): e12490. doi: 10.2196/12490. PMID: 30912758; PMCID: PMC6454334. 18. Gagnon MP, Ngangue P, Payne-Gagnon J, Desmartis M. mHealth adoption by healthcare professionals: A systematic review. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2016 Jan;23(1):212–220. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocv052.ocv052 19. Ahmadvand A, Gatchel R, Brownstein J, Nissen L. The biopsychosocial-digital approach to health and disease: Call for a paradigm expansion. J Med Internet Res. 2018 May 18;20(5): e189. doi: 10.2196/jmir.9732. 20. Jiang F, Liu Y, Hu J, Chen X. Understanding Health Empowerment from the Perspective of Information Processing: Questionnaire Study. J Med Internet Res. 2022 Jan 11;24(1): e27178. doi: 10.2196/27178. PMID: 35014957; PMCID: PMC8790685. 21. Bailo L, Guiddi P, Vergani L, Marton G, Pravettoni G. The patient perspective: investigating patient empowerment enablers and barriers within the oncological care process. Ecancermedicalscience. 2019 Mar 28; 13:912. doi: 10.3332/ecancer.2019.912. PMID: 31123495; PMCID: PMC6467453. 22. Montana S B, Montana G L, & Moshavi D. (2012). A knowledge-based view of improving the physician-patient relationship. Academy of Health Care Management Journal, 2012; 8(1): 9–19. 23. Timmermans S. The Engaged Patient: The Relevance of Patient-Physician Communication for Twenty-First-Century Health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 2020; 61(3): 259–273. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48585109 24. Vahdat S, Hamzehgardeshi L, Hessam S, Hamzehgardeshi Z. Patient involvement in health care decision making: a review. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2014 Jan;16(1):e12454. doi: 10.5812/ircmj.12454. Epub 2014 Jan 5. PMID: 24719703; PMCID: PMC3964421. 25. Demiris G. The diffusion of virtual communities in health care: Concepts and challenges. Patient Education & Counseling, 2006; 62, 178-88. 26. Rheingold H. The virtual community: Homesteading on the electronic frontier. Cambridge, 2000, MA: MIT Press. 27. Oh HJ, Lee B. The effect of computer-mediated social support in online communities on patient empowerment and doctor-patient communication. Health Commun 2012; 27: 30–41. 28. Cooke BD, Rossmann MM, McCubbin H, Patterson JM. Examining the definition and assessment of social support as a resource for individuals and families. Fam Relat. 1988; 37:211–216. 29. Passarelli-Araujo H. The association between social support and self-rated health in midlife: are men more affected than women? Cad Saude Publica. 2023 Dec 11;39(12): e00106323. doi: 10.1590/0102-311XEN106323. PMID: 38088736; PMCID: PMC10715567. 30. Razurel C, Kaiser B, Sellenet C, Epiney M. Relation between perceived stress, social support, and coping strategies and maternal well-being: a review of the literature. Women Health. 2013;53(1):74–99. 31. Ozbay F, Johnson DC, Dimoulas E, Morgan CA, Charney D, Southwick S. Social support and resilience to stress: from neurobiology to clinical practice. Psychiatry (Edgmont). 2007 May;4(5):35-40. PMID: 20806028; PMCID: PMC2921311. 32. Kimmerle J, Bientzle M, Cress U. Personal experiences and emotionality in health-related knowledge exchange in Internet forums: a randomized controlled field experiment comparing responses to facts vs personal experiences. J Med Internet Res. 2014 Dec 4;16(12): e277. doi: 10.2196/jmir.3766. PMID: 25486677; PMCID: PMC4275470. 33. Gooden R J, & Winefield H R. Breast and prostate cancer online discussion boards: A thematic analysis of gender differences and similarities. Journal of Health Psychology, 2007; 12, 103-14. 34. Chang C. Seeking Scientific Health Information for Empowerment: Empowered-Get-More-Empowered Effects. Science Communication, 2022; 44(2):169-99. DOI:10.1177/10755470211063864 35. Röger-Offergeld U, Kurfer E, Brandl-Bredenbeck HP. Empowerment through participation in community-based participatory research-effects of a physical activity promotion project among socially disadvantaged women. Front Public Health. 2023 Jul 19; 11:1205808. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1205808. PMID: 37538266; PMCID: PMC10396770. 36. Ayala Calvo J C, and García G M. Hardiness as moderator of the relationship between structural and psychological empowerment on burnout in middle managers. J. Occup. Organ. Psychol. 2018; 91, 62–84. doi: 10.1111/joop.12194 37. Gutschoven K, & van den Bulck J. Towards the measurement of psychological health empowerment in the general public. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Dresden, Germany. 2006. 38. Barak A, Boniel-Nissim M, & Suler J. Fostering empowerment in online support groups. Computer in Human Behavior, 2008; 24, 1867-83. 39. Gibson C H. A concept analysis of empowerment. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1991,16, 354-61. 40. Arnold L B. Delivering empowerment: Women’s narratives about the role of pregnant bulletin boards. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, 2003; 4, 45–52. 41. Sharf B F. Communicating breast cancer online: Support and empowerment on the Internet. Women Health, 1997; 26, 65-84. 42. Kettunen T, Liimatainen L, Villberg J, & Perko U. (2006). Developing empowering health counseling measurement: Preliminary results. Patient Education & Counseling, 2006; 64, 159-66. 43. Virtanen H, Leino-Kilpi H, & Salanterä S. Empowering discourse in patient education. Patient Education & Counseling, 2007; 66, 140-6. 44. World Health Organization. World Diabetes Day: Too many people are losing lower limbs unnecessarily to diabetes. WHO press release. 2015 Available at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/ releases/2005/pr61/en 45. IDF Diabetes Atlas Eighth Edition 2017. Available from: https://diabetesatlas.org/. Accessed July 5, 2023. 46. House J S, & Kahn R L. Measures and concepts of social support. In S. Cohen & S. L. Syme (Eds.), Social support and health. 1985; (pp. 83–108). Orlando, FL: Academic Press. 47. Menon S T. Toward a model of psychological health empowerment: Implications for health care in multicultural communities. Nurses Education Today, 2002, 22, 28–39. 48. Anderson R M, Fitzgerald J T, Funnel M M, & Marrero D G. Diabetes empowerment scales (DES): A measure of psychosocial self-efficacy. Diabetes Care, 2001 23, 739-43. 49. Dutta-Bergman M J. (2005). The relation between health-orientation, provider-patient communication, and satisfaction: An individual difference approach. Health Communication, 2005, 18, 291–303. 50. Buis L. Social support provision within online health-focused support groups. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, San Francisco, CA. 2007. 51. Arbuckle J L. Amos 16.0. user’s guide. Chicago, IL: SPSS, Inc. 2007. 52. Sobel M E. Asymptotic confidence intervals for indirect effects in structural equations models. In S. Leinhart (Ed.), Sociological methodology 1982 (pp. 290 312). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 53. Rains S A, & Young V. A meta-analysis of research on formal computer-mediated support groups: Examining group characteristics and health outcomes. Human Communication Research, 2009; 35, 309–336. 54. van Uden-Kraan C F, Drossaert C H C, Taal E, Seydel E R, & van de Laar M A F J. Self-reported differences in empowerment between lurkers and posters in online patient support groups. Journal of Medical Internet Research, (2008a); 10 (2), e10. Available at: http://www.jmir.org/2008/2/e18 55. van Uden-Kraan C F, Drossaert C H C, Taal E, Shaw B R, & van de Laar M A F J. Empowering processes and outcomes of participation in online support groups for patients with breast cancer, arthritis, and fibromyalgia. Qualitative Health Research, 2008b; 18, 405-18. 56. Fitzsimons S, & Fuller R. Empowerment and its implications for clinical practice in mental health: A review. Journal of Mental Health, 2002; 11, 481–499. 57. Boehm A, & Staples L H. Empowerment: The point of view of the consumer. Families in Society, 2004; 85, 270-80.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Transfer of Copyright and Permission to Reproduce Parts of Published Papers.
Authors retain the copyright for their published work. No formal permission will be required to reproduce parts (tables or illustrations) of published papers, provided the source is quoted appropriately and reproduction has no commercial intent. Reproductions with commercial intent will require written permission and payment of royalties.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.