Is information normalization helpful in online communication? Evidence from online healthcare consultation

IF 5.9 3区 管理学 Q1 BUSINESS
Xuan Wang, Tao Huang, Wenping Zhang, Qingfeng Zeng, Xin Sun
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the role of information normalization in online healthcare consultation, a typical complex human-to-human communication requiring both effectiveness and efficiency. The globalization and digitization trend calls for high-quality information, and normalization is considered an effective method for improving information quality. Meanwhile, some researchers argued that excessive normalization (standardized answers) may be perceived as impersonal, repetitive, and cold. Thus, it is not appreciated for human-to-human communication, for instance, when patients are anxious about their health condition (e.g. with high-risk disease) in online healthcare consultation. Therefore, the role of information normalization in human communication is worthy to be explored.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from one of the largest online healthcare consultation platforms (Dxy.com). This study expanded the existing information quality model by introducing information normalization as a new dimension. Information normalization was assessed using medical templates, extracted through natural language processing methods such as Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). Patient decision-making behaviors, namely, consultant selection and satisfaction, were chosen to evaluate communication performance.

Findings

The results confirmed the positive impact of information normalization on communication performance. Additionally, a negative moderating effect of disease risk on the relationship between information normalization and patient decision-making was identified. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that information normalization can be enhanced through experiential learning.

Originality/value

These findings highlighted the significance of information normalization in online healthcare communication and extended the existing information quality model. It also facilitated patient decision-making on online healthcare platforms by providing a comprehensive information quality measurement. In addition, the moderating effects indicated the contradiction between informational support and emotional support, enriching the social support theory.

信息正常化有助于在线交流吗?来自在线医疗咨询的证据
目的 本研究旨在探讨信息规范化在在线医疗保健咨询中的作用,在线医疗保健咨询是一种典型的复杂的人与人之间的交流,需要兼顾有效性和效率。全球化和数字化趋势要求高质量的信息,而规范化被认为是提高信息质量的有效方法。与此同时,一些研究人员认为,过度的规范化(标准化答案)可能会被视为不近人情、重复和冷漠。因此,对于人与人之间的交流,例如在在线医疗咨询中,当患者对自己的健康状况(如患有高危疾病)感到焦虑时,这种方式并不受欢迎。因此,信息正常化在人际交流中的作用值得探讨。设计/方法/途径数据收集自最大的在线医疗咨询平台之一(Dxy.com)。本研究通过引入信息规范化这一新维度,扩展了现有的信息质量模型。通过自然语言处理方法(如转换器双向编码器表示法(BERT)和潜在德里赫利分配法(LDA))提取的医疗模板对信息规范化进行了评估。选择患者的决策行为,即咨询师选择和满意度,来评估沟通绩效。此外,研究还发现疾病风险对信息正常化和患者决策之间的关系具有负向调节作用。原创性/价值这些发现强调了信息正常化在在线医疗沟通中的重要性,并扩展了现有的信息质量模型。研究还通过提供全面的信息质量测量方法,帮助患者在在线医疗保健平台上做出决策。此外,调节效应表明了信息支持与情感支持之间的矛盾,丰富了社会支持理论。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Internet Research
Internet Research 工程技术-电信学
CiteScore
11.20
自引率
10.20%
发文量
85
审稿时长
>12 weeks
期刊介绍: This wide-ranging interdisciplinary journal looks at the social, ethical, economic and political implications of the internet. Recent issues have focused on online and mobile gaming, the sharing economy, and the dark side of social media.
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