What Leads to Effective Online Physician-Patient Communication? the Power of Convergence

Online health communities (OHCs) provide patients with chronic diseases with an alternative physician-patient communication platform that offers social support and better management of their diseases. However, under the context of text-only communication, even though the part OHCs play in enabling patients’ self-management of chronic conditions has attracted scholarly and practical attention, the role of linguistic features pertaining to online physician-patient communication in improving patient compliance has been significantly neglected. Based on communication accommodation theory, this study examines the effects of convergent linguistic features on patients’ satisfaction and compliance, along with the contingent roles of physicians’ titles and complications. According to the study results, physician-patient convergence of semantic and stylistic features positively affects patient satisfaction, in turn increasing compliance. Furthermore, the physician’s title weakens the effect of the convergence of language concreteness but strengthens the effect of the convergence of emotional intensity on patient satisfaction. Additionally, complications negatively affect the relationship between satisfaction and compliance. These findings provide further insight into the literature regarding communication accommodation theory and physician-patient communication in OHCs and offer a practical guide to physician-patient communication skills.