Within the next 8 years, annual US expendi-ture on health care is projected to reach $4
trillion/year, or 20% of the gross domestic product. 1 Whether resource consumption of this …

Advances in information technology (IT) enable a fundamental redesign of health care
processes based on the use and integration of electronic communication at all levels. New …

The powerful influence that social relationships have on health has garnered great interest
among both researchers and practitioners. An understanding of the impact of social …

Online support groups have been used extensively, in numerous areas of distress, for 15
years. Researchers have presented conflicting findings and ideas about their effectiveness …

Background: This project investigates the ways in which patients respond to the shared use
of what is often considered private information: personal health data. There is a growing …

Ever since the rise of online support groups it has been presumed that there is an
empowering effect from patients' participating in these groups, despite a lack of evidence to …

This article illustrates the role electronic support groups play in consumer-driven
medicalization. The analysis is based on an observational study of a year in the life of an …

Background: Patients who visit online support groups benefit in various ways. Results of our
earlier study indicated that participation in online support groups had a profound effect on …

This study investigates what motivates people to make use of health-related online forums,
and how people feel that using these forums helps them in coping with their situation …

This paper reviews empirical studies on whether participating in mutual help groups for
people with mental health problems leads to improved psychological and social functioning …