Patient distrust toward doctors in online health communities: integrating distrust construct model and social-technical systems theory
Information Technology & People
ISSN: 0959-3845
Article publication date: 5 July 2022
Issue publication date: 4 May 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to explore the factors influencing patients' distrust toward doctors in online health community.
Design/methodology/approach
This study leveraged the distrust construct model and socio-technical systems theory to establish a research model. The authors used the survey method to validate the research model by developing and distributing questionnaires to online health community users. 518 valid responses were collected.
Findings
The data analysis results showed that patients' distrusting beliefs were significantly related to their distrust toward doctors in online health communities. Meanwhile, social factors included perceived egoism and lack of expertise; whereas technical factors included no structural assurance, and lack of third-party recognition.
Originality/value
This study not only provides a solid and comprehensive theoretical understanding of patient distrust toward doctors in online health communities but also could serve as the basis to relieve the distrust between patients and doctors in online health communities, or even in the offline environment.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71801100 and 71971092), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 2019kfyXJJS172, and 2022WKYXZX006).
Citation
Xue, J., Deng, Z., Wu, T. and Chen, Z. (2023), "Patient distrust toward doctors in online health communities: integrating distrust construct model and social-technical systems theory", Information Technology & People, Vol. 36 No. 4, pp. 1414-1438. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-03-2021-0197
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited