Review of Influencing Factors of Patients' Medical Choice Behavior in Online Health Community

The development of information technology has made online medical communities a new avenue for addressing medical resource shortages. However, the complexity of information and the asymmetry between physicians and patients makes patients confused when they consult in online health community (OHC). This study systematically analyzed and summarized relevant theories and factors influencing patients' medical choice behavior through literature review. The objective is to offer guidance for patients' decisions in selecting physicians and to support the sustainable development of online medical community platforms, as well as to provide practical insights for further exploration in this field. Objective: This review examines recent theories and factors influencing patients' medical choice behavior in online health community (OHC), aiming to offer insights for patient choice regarding physician selection and the sustainable development of online medical platforms. Methods: A literature analysis was conducted to summarize studies on patients' medical choice behavior in OHC, identifying relevant theories and influencing factors. Results: The analysis identified seven key theories in the study of patients' medical choice behavior: signal theory, trust theory, social capital theory, social exchange theory, the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model, the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), and the opportunity-motivation-ability (OMA) framework. Factors such as physicians' professional capital, online effort, service quality, online reputation, patient preferences and disease heterogeneity significantly influence patients' medical choice behavior. Conclusion: There is a trend toward integrating multiple theories in understanding patients' medical choice behavior in OHC; however, interdisciplinary research remains limited. Most studies focus on patients’ medical choice behavior from the physicians' perspective, while research from the patients' viewpoint is lacking. This study suggests two future research directions: enhancing the integration of multidisciplinary theories and expanding the scope of research subjects.