International journal of medical informatics
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The emergence of online health communities broadens and diversifies channels for patient-doctor interaction. Given limited medical resources, online health communities aim to provide better treatment by decreasing medical costs, making full use of available resources and providing more diverse channels for patients. ⋯ This study contributes to both knowledge and practice. This study shows that there is channel effect in healthcare, websites' managers can encourage physicians to provide online services, especially for these physicians who do not have enough patients.