Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

Patients' use of social media improves doctor-patient relationship and patient wellbeing: Evidence from a natural experiment in China

  • Harbin Institute of Technology
  • City University of Hong Kong

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

The application of social media in healthcare has become increasingly popular and changed the way patients connect with each other and with doctors (Agarwal et al. 2010; Kane et al. 2009). Despite the increasing use of social media applications in healthcare, there is limited evidence for the effects of social media use on the process and outcomes of healthcare. Our research examines online communities maintained by doctors, in which patients can communicate with the doctors and with other patients who have sought medical consultations from the same doctor. By exploiting an "exogenous event" that reduces patients' access to the online communities, we estimate the causal impact of patients' use of online community. Our results show that patients' use of such online communities has a positive causal impact on their relationship with the doctors and their wellbeing.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication2016 International Conference on Information Systems, ICIS 2016
PublisherAssociation for Information Systems
ISBN (Electronic)9780996683135
StatePublished - 2016
Event2016 International Conference on Information Systems, ICIS 2016 - Dublin, Ireland
Duration: 11 Dec 201614 Dec 2016

Publication series

Name2016 International Conference on Information Systems, ICIS 2016

Conference

Conference2016 International Conference on Information Systems, ICIS 2016
Country/TerritoryIreland
CityDublin
Period11/12/1614/12/16

Keywords

  • Causal inference
  • Difference-in-difference
  • Doctor-patient relationship
  • Natural experiment
  • Online community
  • Patient wellbeing
  • Propensity score matching
  • Social media

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Patients' use of social media improves doctor-patient relationship and patient wellbeing: Evidence from a natural experiment in China'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this