How trust is formed in online health communities: A process perspective

Abstract

People are increasingly looking for health-related information and support to empower their self -management and decision making. Online health communit ies have not only become an important alternative source of patientcentered information but also appear to serve an emotional support role in connecting patients who have similar medical conditions. Trust is critical to sustain their continuous use and enhance their involvement. This is because each community member is typically identif ied only by a pseudonym, important personal information is of ten revealed, the quality of information provided by others varies, and the consequences of acting on incorrec t advice can be severe. Using semi-..