Background Understanding how people participate in and contribute to online health
communities (OHCs) is useful knowledge in multiple domains. It is helpful for community …

Background With the pervasiveness of social media, online health communities (OHCs) are
an important tool for facilitating information sharing and support among people with chronic …

Background Online patient communities are becoming more prevalent as a resource to help
patients take control of their health. However, online patient communities experience …

Background: Online health communities (OHCs) have become a major source of social
support for people with health problems. Members of OHCs interact online with similar peers …

Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to examine how participation in an online health
community provides for direct benefits in the form of information utility and social support and …

As the national awareness of health keeps deepening, online health communities (OHCs)
have achieved rapid development. Users' participation is critically important to the …

Background The role of online health communities (OHCs) in patient empowerment is
growing and has been increasingly studied in recent years. Research has focused primarily …

Background Participation in online health communities (OHCs) is a popular trend in the
United Kingdom. However, so far, no evidence exists to indicate an association between …

Background The effectiveness of online health communities (OHCs) for improving outcomes
for health care consumers, health professionals, and health services has already been well …

Background Social network analysis provides a perspective and method for inquiring into
the structures that comprise online groups and communities. Traces from interaction via …