Author(s): Vivek Pandey, Saibal Kumar Saha, Samrat Kumar Mukherjee and Ajeya Jha
Objective: Numerous healthcare organizations offer Online Patient Support Groups (OPSGs) as a component of their comprehensive patient support services. The primary aim of establishing and maintaining these OPSGs is to provide patients with information and support. This research investigates the comparative influence of specific functions within OPSGs: Perceived Empathy, Information seeking, Perceived Social Support, and Homophily. Design: The objective of this study is to examine the effects of different factors within OPSGs, including the effectiveness of information seeking, perceived social support, perceived empathy, and homophily. Measurement: Data was gathered from participants of online health communities through a web-based survey. The collected data was analysed using the 16th edition of SPSS and AMOS version 26. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to examine the data. Results: 25 variables resulted in 5 latent constructs, and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted. The successful emergence of Online Patient Support Groups indicates that these fulfil the essential latent needs of patients.