Getting the Healthcare We Want: the Use of Online "Ask the Doctor" Platforms in Practice

Ding, X. , Gui, X., Ma, X., Ding, Z. and Chen, Y. (2020) Getting the Healthcare We Want: the Use of Online "Ask the Doctor" Platforms in Practice. In: 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '20), Honolulu, HI, USA, 25-30 Apr 2020, p. 570. ISBN 9781450367080 (doi: 10.1145/3313831.3376699)

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Abstract

Online Ask the Doctor (AtD) services allow access to health professionals anytime anywhere beyond existing patient-provider relationships. Recently, many free-market AtD platforms have emerged and been adopted by a large scale of users. However, it is still unclear how people make use of these AtD platforms in practice. In this paper, we present an interview study with 12 patients/caregivers who had experience using AtD in China, highlighting patient agency in seeking more reliable and cost-effective healthcare beyond clinic settings. Specifically, we illustrate how they make strategic choices online on AtD platforms, and how they strategically integrate online and offline services together for healthcare. This paper contributes an empirical study of the use of large-scale AtD platforms in practice, demonstrates patient agency for healthcare beyond clinic settings, and recommends design implications for online healthcare services.

Item Type:Conference Proceedings
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Ding, Dr Sharon
Authors: Ding, X., Gui, X., Ma, X., Ding, Z., and Chen, Y.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Computing Science
ISBN:9781450367080

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