Factors that determine a Patient's willingness to physician selection in online healthcare communities: A trust theory perspective

Yingli Gong, Hongwei Wang, Qiangwei Xia, Lijuan Zheng and Yunxiang Shi

Technology in Society, 2021, vol. 64, issue C

Abstract: Health care users and patients are increasingly using online health communities to seek medical service, especially during the COVID-19 epidemic. The factors that determine the online trust between physicians and patients perplex the stakeholders for a long time. Based on the trust theory, this study explored the influence of physicians' personal quality and online reputation on patients' selection. A longitudinal panel data collection exercise, covering 11905 physicians on haodf. com, was conducted on May 20, 2018, May 22, 2019 and May 25, 2020. The random effect models are used to test our hypothesis. Results show that physicians' quality (competence, benevolence, and integrity) and online reputation (online reviews and online rating) can significantly affect patients' selection. Moreover, the physician's gender can enhance the influence of online reputation on patients' selection. As online healthcare community becomes an increasingly appealing channel for health, the frequency of the physician's quality information updating and the quality of online service are equally important to online physician-patient trust.

Keywords: Physician-patient trust; Trust theory; Physicians' quality; Online reputation; Gender (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:teinso:v:64:y:2021:i:c:s0160791x20313130

DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101510

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