ROBERT WEIS et al, Journal of Health Psychology, 1359–1053(200301)8:1]
Vol 8(1) 135–148; 029449
Abstract
Can a health-care website stimulate its members to become a ‘community of care and caring’, facilitating both medical ‘information’ and personal ‘support’? This study of MSWatch.com, a website designed for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients, provides conceptual distinctions about ‘ties’ to a ‘community’ and raises questions about communications designed to serve patients with Multiple Sclerosis.
An online survey of members of the website shows that members tend to:
(1) make use of both its health-care information (care) and support (caring) functions, especially the former;
(2) evaluate the website more highly overall if they make use of both information and support; (3) use the website the most during early stages of the disease; and
(4) enhance their ties to the virtual community through using communication information and support
In 1997 nearly half of US users spent some time looking for health information on the Internet, in year 2000 nearly 60 percent reported using the Internet to get medical information.
the MSWatch website had 16,416 members and a total of 943 users responded to the survey.
The study makes a distinction between 'care' and 'caring' components of the discussion board:
- Care - crucial information about treatment. Communication that provides information (e.g. about treatment options) – top down
- Caring - moral support at a time when victims and their families need it most. communication that contributes to building relationships between people, ie ‘support’ Bottom up
Self-help groups have become an increasingly important component of health care -‘supporting’, encouraging, caring and nurturing.
'Virtual community care' - Internet is profoundly and irreversibly revolutionizing patient–physician relationships and sees the creation of Internet-based partnerships between physicians and patients.
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