Background Web-based sources are increasingly employed in the analysis, detection, and
forecasting of diseases and epidemics, and in predicting human behavior toward several …

Objective: The aim of this study was to show how methodologies borrowed from different
areas including computer science, econometrics, statistics, data mining, and sociology may …

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS), a progressive demyelinating disease of the brain and
spinal cord, is the leading cause of nontraumatic neurological damage in young adults …

Online discussion forums for patients offer the benefits of community but the risks of
misinformation. A physician-moderated forum may help to mitigate this tension. How do both …

Background The practice of clinical medicine rests on a foundation of ethical principles as
well as scientific knowledge. Clinicians must artfully balance the principle of beneficence …

Background Liver transplantation (LT) is the only curative treatment for end-stage liver
disease. Less than 10% of global transplantation needs are met worldwide, and the need for …

People who pursue unproven therapies are often portrayed as 'desperate'individuals duped
by medical racketeers peddling 'false hope'. These patients, in contrast, present themselves …

Patient centeredness is a central concept in the treatment and rehabilitation of persons with
chronic illness in Germany. There are various concepts of and approaches to patient …

This thesis reports on an analysis of an 11-million-word corpus of online discussions in a
public educational site to understand the dialogic nature of online discourse. Two …

Background: Seeking and sharing information are the primary uses of the internet and social
media. It is therefore vital to understand the processes individuals go through when …