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Article
Publication date: 14 March 2016

Qiuying Zheng, Tang Yao and Xiucheng Fan

The purpose of this paper is to explore the dynamics of online health care communities and the impact of two-way online social support on customers’ well-being and patients’…

1452

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the dynamics of online health care communities and the impact of two-way online social support on customers’ well-being and patients’ quality of life, at different social exclusion levels.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey in China’s Anti-Hepatitis B Online Community includes 326 respondents. A combined hierarchical regression analysis and structural equation model test the hypotheses.

Findings

Both receiving and giving online social support, as reciprocal altruism behaviors, enhance patients’ well-being. Receiving online social support influences psychological well-being most; giving has the largest impact on existential domains. Social exclusion boosts the benefits of giving online social support but attenuates the benefits of receiving it.

Research limitations/implications

This research focusses on the effects of online social support among socially excluded patients. Extensions could rely on objective instead of subjective measures and alternative methodologies to test the underlying processes. Additional insights could derive from a bidirectional perspective.

Practical implications

Medical treatment institutions should leverage customer resources; health care providers should prioritize patients who feel socially excluded as effective online support providers. Health care community administrators can use several means to convince patients to contribute to communities.

Originality/value

Social support in online health care communities is a collaborative service that uses customers as service resources. This study explains the collaborative service and how customers feel about their bidirectional roles. It also extends reciprocal altruism research to a health information technology realm by systematically exploring how giving, vs receiving, online social support affects customers’ well-being.

Details

Journal of Service Theory and Practice, vol. 26 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2055-6225

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 October 2022

Mallika Srivastava and Madhur Raina

The overall purpose of this empirically validated research paper is to determine factors that impact the success of using social media channels by consumers for salvaging…

Abstract

Purpose

The overall purpose of this empirically validated research paper is to determine factors that impact the success of using social media channels by consumers for salvaging health-care information by integrating constructs of the information system (IS) success model, e-health service quality and perceived usefulness during pre- and post-COVID settings.

Design/methodology/approach

Online survey responses of 243 consumers for study 1 and 184 consumers for study 2 were validated using factor analysis to understand consumers’ attitudes toward social media use. Constructs from existing literature and theories have been extracted to develop the proposed model, which has been empirically validated through statistical tests. A paired-samples t-test was also conducted to compare the customer satisfaction mean of pre- and post-COVID conditions; and word of mouth (WOM) for pre- and post-COVID conditions.

Findings

The outcome of this study supports that service quality and information quality conclusively influence customer satisfaction of consumers for health-care information among respondents pre COVID, and service quality, perceived usefulness and information quality conclusively affect customer satisfaction of consumers for health-care information among respondents post COVID. Furthermore, the e-health service quality contributes noteworthy in shaping the consumers’ satisfaction with social media usage for study 2 and information quality for study 1. A paired-samples t-test revealed that the two groups behaved significantly differently for customer satisfaction and WOM in the two groups.

Research limitations/implications

At prima facie, this study has a geographical limitation for the sample size. The respondents for the online research were from the urban suburb of Bengaluru, India. The data collection has not focused on any precise social media channel.

Practical implications

Identification and comprehension of constructs that influence consumer satisfaction related to social media usage for health-care information can assist health-care managers in developing appropriate strategies for consumers to maximize social media usage. Moreover, this study provides an insight into the consumer’s perception of using social media channels for seeking health-care information.

Originality/value

This study recommends an empirically validated model for the success of social media in a consumer setting for the health-care scenario. This research is a unique attempt that inspects social media satisfaction by adapting constructs from existing theories of the IS success model, e-health service quality and perceived usefulness.

Article
Publication date: 27 June 2022

Jens Hogreve and Andrea Beierlein

The authors explore the outcomes of health-care professionals' participation in a vendor-hosted online community by combining qualitative and quantitative data collected in two…

Abstract

Purpose

The authors explore the outcomes of health-care professionals' participation in a vendor-hosted online community by combining qualitative and quantitative data collected in two separate studies. The authors aim to shed light on the potential value outcomes of community participation covering the reduction of service costs by professionals' community participation.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors explore the outcomes of health-care professionals' participation in a vendor-hosted online community by combining qualitative and quantitative data collected in two separate studies. The authors also introduce GABEK® as a unique method of qualitative empirical content analysis. In the quantitative study, the authors refer to customer survey data and transactional data.

Findings

The results show that participation in online communities by professionals emerges as a dual concept, consisting of both help-seeking and help-providing behaviors. These behaviors in turn facilitate the creation of economic and relational value, as well as influencing the perceived usefulness of the online community, resulting in higher satisfaction with the community among the participating professionals. Customer survey data and transactional data were gathered from a major medical equipment vendor hosting an online community, and those data confirm that participation also decreases service support costs to professionals by reducing the number of necessary service visits by the vendor's service technicians.

Practical implications

The resulting model of participation and corresponding benefits in an online community for health-care professionals reflects and informs current developments in the health care industry.

Originality/value

The combination of qualitative as well as quantitative studies relying on the data of a world leading medical equipment vendor hosting an online community provides unique and innovative insights into participation and value creation within B2B communities.

Details

Journal of Service Management, vol. 34 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-5818

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 May 2020

Youngsu Lee, Joonhwan In and Seung Jun Lee

As social media platforms become increasingly popular among service firms, many US hospitals have been using social media as a means to improve their patients’ experiences…

1388

Abstract

Purpose

As social media platforms become increasingly popular among service firms, many US hospitals have been using social media as a means to improve their patients’ experiences. However, little research has explored the implications of social media use within a hospital context. The purpose of this paper is to investigate a hospital’s customer engagement through social media and its association with customers’ experiential quality. Also, this study examines the role of a hospital’s service characteristics, which could shape the nature of the interactions between patients and the hospital.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from 669 hospitals with complete experiential quality and demographic data were collected from multiple sources of secondary data, including the rankings of social media friendly hospitals, the Hospital Compare database, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) cost report, the CMS impact file, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Analytics database and the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care. Specifically, the authors designed the instrumental variable estimate to address the endogeneity issue.

Findings

The empirical results suggest a positive association between a hospital’s social media engagement and experiential quality. For hospitals with a high level of service sophistication, the association between online engagement and experiential quality becomes more salient. For hospitals offering various services, offline engagement is a critical predictor of experiential quality.

Research limitations/implications

A hospital with more complex services should make efforts to engage customers through social media for better patient experiences. The sample is selected from databases in the US, and the databases are cross-sectional in nature.

Practical implications

Not all hospitals may be better off improving the patient experience by engaging customers through social media. Therefore, practitioners should exercise caution in applying the study’s results to other contexts and in making causal inferences.

Originality/value

The current study delineates customer engagement through social media into online and offline customer engagement. This study is based on the theory of customer engagement and reflects the development of mobile technology. Moreover, this research may be considered as pioneering in that it considers the key characteristics of a hospital’s service operations (i.e., service complexity) when discovering the link between customers’ engagement through a hospital’s social media and experiential quality.

Details

Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 34 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0887-6045

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 January 2020

Shahidul Islam, Md Rakibul Hoque and Md Abdullah Al Jamil

The purpose of this study is to explain predictors that discriminate users’ preferences for online health services, focusing on a downtown area in a developing country.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explain predictors that discriminate users’ preferences for online health services, focusing on a downtown area in a developing country.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on rational choice theory (RCT), the authors test a model that links the frequency of online health service usage to access-activators and access-inhibitors. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and the discriminant analysis model were used to analyze data from a sample of 215 internet users.

Findings

Results confirm the significance of responsiveness, user’s attitude, accessibility and perceived ease of use, indicating their discriminating role in the usage of online health services.

Research limitations/implications

The study demonstrates the relevance of RCT in measuring perceived online health service quality in an emerging context. Future research should consider the influence of electronic health (eHealth) literacy, norms and trustworthiness to increase the generalizability of the findings.

Practical implications

The findings of this study can help enhance the eHealth service quality by encouraging service providers to improve the interactivity and ease of use of their platforms, thus delivering value to both consumers and firms and improving the well-being of the society at large.

Originality/value

Few existing studies draw attention to access-activators and access-inhibitors to predict users’ preferences for online health services. This study shows the applicability of RCT in preparing the instrumental dimensions of online health service quality.

Details

Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 37 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0736-3761

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 December 2021

Husain Salilul Akareem, Melanie Wiese and Wafa Hammedi

Despite having inadequate resources, highly impoverished patients tend to seek and share health information over social media groups to improve each other’s well-being. This study…

Abstract

Purpose

Despite having inadequate resources, highly impoverished patients tend to seek and share health information over social media groups to improve each other’s well-being. This study aims to focus on access to health-care information for such patients and aims to provide an understanding of how online health-care communities (OHCs), as transformative service mediators, can be platforms for patients with chronic and nonchronic health conditions to share their experiences in a base-of-the-pyramid (BOP) context.

Design/methodology/approach

A large-scale survey among 658 respondents was conducted in a very low-income country. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

A model of patients’ experience sharing (PES), motivations and consequences for health-care services are introduced and tested. The result supports the PES model for patients with chronic health conditions, showing that utilitarian, hedonic and social value dimensions directly influence PES and indirectly influence patients’ continuance intention with OHCs and patient efforts. However, a mediating effect of PES was found only between the value dimensions and patients’ efforts. A negative moderation effect of medical mistrust was found in the relationship between utilitarian value and PES for both chronic and nonchronic patient groups.

Originality/value

This study is a pioneering attempt to develop and test a PES model in a BOP market.

Article
Publication date: 19 May 2021

Mohammad Asif Salam and Saleh Bajaba

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of the COVID-19 health-care system quality (HSQ) and its impact on the individual (satisfaction) and social (quality of life…

1430

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of the COVID-19 health-care system quality (HSQ) and its impact on the individual (satisfaction) and social (quality of life [QOL]) outcomes in the context of a transformative health-care delivery system using service-dominant logic (SDL).

Design/methodology/approach

A sample consisting of 1,008 individuals who have experienced the COVID-19 health-care system was drawn from four different regions of Saudi Arabia using the simple random sampling technique. The survey was conducted using an online survey and 1,008 respondents answered, based on their experience and knowledge of the COVID-19 health-care system. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was applied to test the proposed research model.

Findings

The study findings suggest that service system satisfaction (SAT) significantly mediates the role of the HSQ in delivering and enhancing the QOL. HSQ also has a significant role to play on the SAT as well as the QOL. These findings contribute to the body of knowledge on SDL in the context of HSQ in understanding the significant role of technologies can play in enhancing service satisfaction and better QOL during a crisis such as COVID-19. This study also improves the understanding of the importance of customer-centricity, real-time visibility through tracking and tracing of service flow, agile decision-making, fewer but better-defined service objectives, and finally shaping mindsets and behaviors of all the relevant parties involved in the HSQ service delivery process.

Research limitations/implications

One of the major limitations of this study is that, although COVID-19 is an ongoing global pandemic, cross-sectional data were collected in only one country. The findings may not be generalizable across subsequent waves of the pandemic. The best practices of HSQ could be studied around the globe and the results used to support continuous improvement.

Originality/value

This study advances the understanding of the SDL in the context of a transformative health-care system for a transitional economy by focusing on individual and social well-being during an unexpected crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also contributes toward the understanding of the roles of enabling technologies to improve the service delivery system which results in an improved SAT, as well as better QOL for the society at large. Based on SDL this research validates the HSQ model, relevant measures and its overall impact on SAT and QOL in the context of a transformative health-care service system in Saudi Arabia.

Article
Publication date: 2 January 2024

Gita Gayatri, Yusniza Kamarulzaman, Tengku Ezni Balqiah, Dony Abdul Chalid, Anya Safira and Sri Rahayu Hijrah Hati

This study aims to examine the perceptions and evaluations of Muslim COVID-19 survivors and health workers regarding the halal, business and ethical attributes of hospitals during…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the perceptions and evaluations of Muslim COVID-19 survivors and health workers regarding the halal, business and ethical attributes of hospitals during their interactions related to COVID-19 treatment.

Design/methodology/approach

Descriptive qualitative research with semi-structured online interviews was used to gather insights from COVID-19 survivors and health workers who treated COVID-19 patients. The findings were then compared with existing literature on hospital services and Sharia attributes.

Findings

The study found that patients and health-care workers in hospitals are concerned about whether the hospital follows Sharia law, the quality of health-care and hospital services and the ethical conduct of hospital staff. This is especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic, when patients are more anxious about religious conduct and the afterlife.

Research limitations/implications

Hospitals need to address halal attributes in all aspects of their services for Muslim patients and business attributes such as standard health-care quality, service quality and ethical attributes. Participants indicated that when these needs are met, they are more likely to revisit the hospital and recommend it to others.

Originality/value

This study contributes to understanding the expectations of Muslim patients regarding hospital services that meet Islamic ethical and business requirements. Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study broadens the understanding of how to better serve Muslim customers.

Details

International Journal of Ethics and Systems, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9369

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 April 2022

Shilpa Sindhu

The recent pandemic of COVID-19 has posed challenges for delivering essential and desirable health-care services for the masses. Digital health-care services initiated by several…

Abstract

Purpose

The recent pandemic of COVID-19 has posed challenges for delivering essential and desirable health-care services for the masses. Digital health-care services initiated by several hospitals and health practitioners promise efficient and safe health care in the new normal post-COVID era but need a supportive enabling ecosystem. Therefore, this study aims toward identifying and modeling the key enabling factors for digital health-care services.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of nine factors were identified from the literature review and verified by the domain experts which can enable the wider acceptance of digital health-care services. The identified factors were then modeled with the help of the total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) approach and fuzzy Matrices d’Impacts Croises Multiplication Appliquée à un Classement (MICMAC) and a meaningful contextual relationship were developed for the factors.

Findings

This study reflects that the trust of patients is required for the acceptance of digital health care. Quality of patient care and affordability cum accessibility of online services will define mass engagement. Hospital staff resilience, hospital care service capacity, strategic partnerships and collaborations supported by technology and regulatory structure are the major factors defining the enabling ecosystem.

Originality/value

This study has its uniqueness in the way the TISM approach and fuzzy MICMAC are used for modeling the enabling factors toward growth and acceptance of digital health-care services in the days to come in developing nations. The focus of this study can be considered as relevant for the study interested in investigating the role of cognitive dimensions in influencing actors’ behaviors and decisions.

Details

International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, vol. 16 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6123

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 May 2019

Jia Li, Jie Tang, David C. Yen and Xuan Liu

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating effect of disease risk in terms of the major signals (i.e. status, reputation and self-representation) on the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating effect of disease risk in terms of the major signals (i.e. status, reputation and self-representation) on the e-consultation platforms.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the proposed research hypotheses are tested using the transaction data collected from xywy.com (in Need of Therapy). In fact, xywy.com is one the leading e-consultation service websites in China that provides a platform for the interactions between the physicians and patients (Yu et al., 2016; Peng et al., 2015). Generally speaking, it has all the needed design elements and in other words, a standard e-consultation website should have such items/components as physician homepage, physician review, free consultation, paid consultation and recommendation systems.

Findings

The obtained results reveal that all attributes including status, reputation and self-representation have a positive impact on physician’s online order volume. Moreover, there is a positive moderating effect of disease risk onto the online reputation, indicating a higher effect exists for the diseases with high risk. However, the effect of offline status and online self-representation is not moderated by the disease risk, indicating market signals (online reputation) may have a stronger predictive power than seller signals (offline status and online self- representation), and therefore market signals are more effective when/if the disease risk is high.

Originality/value

E-consultation has gradually become a significant trend to provide the healthcare services, in the emerging economy such as China because of shortage of medical resources but having an adequate access in internet usage. The impacts of signals on the health care market have been validated by previous studies. However, the research focusing on the moderating effect of signaling environment in the health care industry is still lacking. As a result, the value of this research helps to bridge the aforementioned research gap.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 32 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 13000