IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/teinso/v81y2025ics0160791x25000466.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Understanding doctors’ contribution behavior in e-health service communities: A qualitative research

Author

Listed:
  • Peng, Jiamin
  • Fu, Chi
  • Xie, Lishan
  • Huan, Tzung-Cheng

Abstract

Doctors' contributions are crucial for the sustainable development of e-health service communities (e-HSCs). However, studies on the manifestation and formation of their behaviors in e-HSCs are limited. This study adopts a value co-creation and resource input perspective to explore how and why doctors contribute to e-HSCs, incorporating the group engagement model. Through in-depth, one-on-one online interviews with 23 doctors engaged in e-HSCs and grounded theory methodology, this study identified key manifestations of doctors' contribution behavior, which include knowledge contribution, adaptive communication and emotional care, holistic patient management, and community citizenship. Factors driving their contributions encompass the perceptions of gained resources, self-value within e-HSCs, identity considerations, and offline social connections. These findings illustrate doctors' dual motivations rooted in social identification and exchange within e-HSCs, accounting for the potential impacts of offline resources. This study provides practical insights to enhance doctors’ contribution behavior and ensure efficient e-HSC functioning, leading to societal well-being.

Suggested Citation

  • Peng, Jiamin & Fu, Chi & Xie, Lishan & Huan, Tzung-Cheng, 2025. "Understanding doctors’ contribution behavior in e-health service communities: A qualitative research," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:81:y:2025:i:c:s0160791x25000466
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102856
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X25000466
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.102856?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:81:y:2025:i:c:s0160791x25000466. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/technology-in-society .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.