What is going on in digital health communities? A typology of support exchanges for cancer patients

Abedin, B; Milne, D; Erfani, S

What is going on in digital health communities? A typology of support exchanges for cancer patients

Abedin, B

Milne, D

Erfani, S

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Publisher:: Healthcare Technologies
Publication Type:: Chapter
Citation:: Mobile Technologies for Delivering Healthcare in Remote, Rural Or Developing Regions, 2020, pp. 343-356
Issue Date:: 2020-10-06

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Abedin, B https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3426-443X
dc.contributor.author	Milne, D https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0596-7814
dc.contributor.author	Erfani, S
dc.date.accessioned	2021-02-25T05:29:28Z
dc.date.available	2021-02-25T05:29:28Z
dc.date.issued	2020-10-06
dc.identifier.citation	Mobile Technologies for Delivering Healthcare in Remote, Rural Or Developing Regions, 2020, pp. 343-356
dc.identifier.isbn	1839530472
dc.identifier.isbn	9781839530470
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/146461
dc.description.abstract	The use of online health communities (OHCs) for informational and emotional social support seeking is on the rise. However, still little is known about type of exchanges in these communities. In this chapter, we draw on and contribute to the digital health literature by critically studying online support exchanges in a major Australia OHC for cancer patients. We examine about 2,500 messages from 2009 to 2018 and develop a novel annotation scheme of support topics that comprise of five overarching themes: informational support provision, emotional support provision, request for help, self-reflection and disclosures, and conversational cues. Findings revealed that members of OHCs overwhelmingly disclose personal reflections to bond with the community and many members actively post to the community solely to provide informational and emotional support to others. We present implications of our finding to the practice as well as to the theory and discuss potentials for future studies.
dc.format.extent	25
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Healthcare Technologies
dc.relation.ispartof	Mobile Technologies for Delivering Healthcare in Remote, Rural Or Developing Regions
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1049/pbhe024e_ch21
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.title	What is going on in digital health communities? A typology of support exchanges for cancer patients
dc.type	Chapter
utslib.for	080602 Computer-Human Interaction
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CAMGIS - Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial lnformation Systems
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Information, Systems and Modelling
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - HCTD - Human Centred Technology Design
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - PERSWADE - Centre on Persuasive Systems for Wise Adaptive Living
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Systems, Management and Leadership
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	false
dc.date.updated	2021-02-25T05:29:24Z
pubs.place-of-publication	UK
pubs.publication-status	Published
dc.location	UK

Abstract:

The use of online health communities (OHCs) for informational and emotional social support seeking is on the rise. However, still little is known about type of exchanges in these communities. In this chapter, we draw on and contribute to the digital health literature by critically studying online support exchanges in a major Australia OHC for cancer patients. We examine about 2,500 messages from 2009 to 2018 and develop a novel annotation scheme of support topics that comprise of five overarching themes: informational support provision, emotional support provision, request for help, self-reflection and disclosures, and conversational cues. Findings revealed that members of OHCs overwhelmingly disclose personal reflections to bond with the community and many members actively post to the community solely to provide informational and emotional support to others. We present implications of our finding to the practice as well as to the theory and discuss potentials for future studies.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/146461