Researchers: Esther Brainin¹, Ruppin Academic Center²

Background: Electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) is an online interpersonal dialogue between consumers about a product, company, or service. This is a two-way communication rather than a one-sided marketing endeavor. In the healthcare field, the use of social network sites (SNS) can provide users with knowledge, power, and a source of emotional support from others who had to cope with the same issues. Hence, it could cause patients demands to for different test, treatments and referrals.

Objectives: 1. To examine the use and scope of e-WOM for health purposes.
2. To map participants' online and offline social networks and the frequency with which they interact with their network contacts.
3. To analyze, as an example, the discussions about Polio immunizations that took place in Israel in the summer of 2013.

Method: 1. An Internet-based survey among 1,026 participants from various health forums that assessed the extent and outcomes of active and passive use of healthcare-related e-WOM.
2. In-depth interviews with 98 participants. The online and offline social networks of each participant was mapped, and the use and impact of e-WOM healthcare-related recommendations was examined.
3. A comprehensive content analysis of SNS discourse, recommendations, and discussions, which took place between June and October of 2013 in response to the health publicity project "Two drops can protect your family" was conducted by two coders.

Findings: The study suggests that online health-related information (OHRI) facilitates offline health-related behaviors (OHRB) and promote patient involvement in their health care. But, at the same time, patients might ask their physicians to prescribe them with duplicative tests or procedures not truly necessary. The transformation of traditional offline social networks to ego networks in cybersphere (using SNSs) has the advantage of providing a convenient technological platform for seeking and receiving healthcare-related e-WOM (HReWOM). Exposure to the OHRI made them feel that they were more involved in medical decisions.

Conclusions: SNS have the potential to advance public health in a quick and inexpensive manner. The research portrays the beneficial and detrimental effects of eWOM on medical activity. The findings suggest that the physician role is gradually changing and there is a need to change the traditional role definition and prepare the future physicians to their operation in an environment immersed with health information.

Research end date: 05/2019