Start Date

11-12-2016 12:00 AM

Description

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.

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Dec 11th, 12:00 AM

Patients’ Use of Social Media Improves Doctor-patient Relationship and Patient Wellbeing: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in China

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.