College Park-based University of Maryland researchers investigated whether online health communities fostered social value by reducing health disparities between rural and urban patients.
Ritu Agarwal and Guodong Gao, both University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business professors, worked with Jie Mein Goh, PhD, a Canada-based Beedie School of Business assistant professor, on the study.
The research involved data from an online community focused on a rare disease. The researchers evaluated the online interactions for 44 months.
MIS Quarterly published the study.
Here are five insights:
1. The researchers found conversations occurring in the online community helped close the rural-urban healthcare divide, "amplifying the health capabilities of rural users."
2. An online community offers an avenue for rural patients to ask questions and learn about treatment options from urban patients, who likely have increased access to services.
3. These online communities also foster emotional support, which help with disease management and positive outlooks.
4. The study revealed rural users received more social support than urban users, which the researchers identified as creation of social value.
5. The researchers noted policymakers should take a closer look at online health communities, as they offer an inexpensive way of increasing access to health knowledge.
"Obviously it's no substitute for a doctor who might need to perform a procedure," said Ms. Agarwal, "But you can understand better how to cope with your condition and also understand better what your treatment options are, because urban patients have access to very sophisticated medical resources."
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