Who can you trustα Credibility assessment in online health forums

Abstract

As the cost of health care rises governments everywhere are examining how on-line services can replace or augment face-to-face services. Consequently, many health bodies are establishing on-line health forums where patients can share ideas with, or solicit information from, both other patients and health professionals. In the wake of this trend, many on-line forums have arisen which do not have the imprimatur of official government services but are run and managed by private individuals sharing experiences outside of the patient-clinician channel. This phenomenon creates risks and challenges for users who need to evaluate the credibility of unknown and often anonymous contributors to these f..