Understanding the satisfaction and continuance intention of knowledge contribution by health professionals in online health communities

ABSTRACT Participation of health-care professionals in online health communities is essential for these communities to achieve their goals of improving health outcomes. However, little research has been conducted to understand what motivates health-care providers to participate in such communities. This study utilizes the expectancy/value theory to identify the factors that might affect health professionals’ intentions to continue contributing health knowledge in online health communities (OHCs). Specific motivators driving health professionals’ continuance intentions in OHCs include intrinsic motivators (helping motivator, self-efficacy, and moral obligation), and extrinsic motivators (reputation). This study also investigates how health professionals’ satisfaction in the OHC mediates the relationship between the study motivators and the continuance intentions. The study also suggests that health professional characteristics have a moderating effect on continuance intentions. The study employed a sample of 234 health professionals who contribute to a well-regarded OHC in Jordan to test the theoretical model developed for this study. The findings suggest that helping motivator, self-efficacy motivator, and reputation motivator affect OHC members’ satisfaction. The helping motivator, reputation motivator, moral obligation motivator, and satisfaction affect OHC members’ contribution continuance intentions. Finally, the study finds that age, work experience, experience in the OHC, and the daily time spent in the OHC, moderate the relationship between the helping motivator and continuance intentions.