By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    photo of hands with blue veins
    8 Proven Tips on Finding Difficult Veins
    November 12, 2021
    tips for getting over the pandemic blues
    4 Proven Ways to Get Over the Pandemic Blues
    February 22, 2022
    medical industry innovations
    How is CNC Machining Transforming the Medical Industry?
    June 2, 2022
    Latest News
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    July 31, 2025
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    comparative negligence
    Not Knowing About Comparative Negligence Can Worsen Your Medical Debt
    April 12, 2023
    racial disparities in healthcare
    Why We Need to Address Racial Disparities in Maternal Health Care
    August 26, 2021
    Enhancing Pharmaceutical Patient Compliance & Drug Efficacy
    February 12, 2024
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Managing Misbehavior in Online Health Communities
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Managing Misbehavior in Online Health Communities
eHealth

Managing Misbehavior in Online Health Communities

Colleen Young
Colleen Young
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

Excerpt from JMIR publication Community Management That Works: How to Build and Sustain a Thriving Online Health Community

Excerpt from JMIR publication Community Management That Works: How to Build and Sustain a Thriving Online Health Community

online health communityMany health organizations are concerned about disclosure of personal health or other sensitive information and the proliferation of misinformation. However, if your community has clear policies, proactive community management, as well as active moderation and community participation these concerns are largely unfounded. Some communities, though, exist for the sole purpose of encouraging unhealthy behaviors, such as pro-anorexia groups [1]. I want to focus on online communities that support healthy behaviors and how they manage transgressions of their terms of use.

Clearly stated policies make it easy for moderators to modify—and in some cases remove—posts that contravene terms of use, such as commercial postings, advertisements, or impersonations; posts that relate to illegal activity; those that contain disrespectful language, etc [2,3]. For example, Macmillan Cancer Support’s online community had to deal with a member posing as a cancer patient. In a blog post, the moderation team described the transgression to the community, expressed empathy for the upset it may have caused and explained how members can protect themselves. By giving members an opportunity to discuss their reaction to the situation, the community manager created a learning moment and strengthened the community.

More Read

Everyone is Talking about Big Data
Role of Information Technology in the Health Industry?
Consumer Survey: The Virtual Waiting Room
Major FCC Development in HIT for Wearable Body Sensors
Georgia’s Proposed Telemedicine Rule

Community managers, moderators, and core members model behavior and can guide members who may have unwittingly shared sensitive information or misinformation. Such modeling establishes and maintains the desired tone of a community. Communities with a secure sense of community can rely on responsive self-policing to correct misguided behavior and misinformation. In fact, rather than removing misguided information, allowing and enabling community members to correct misconceptions and provide balanced debate can be a very productive bonding opportunity that deepens the sense of community and establishes the value of collective knowledge.

On hcsmca’s LinkedIn Group page, a marketing manager made a commercial post about her company’s upcoming patient experience conference that did not include patients. This contravened the community’s principle of including patients and our resolve to support “Nothing about us without us.” The ensuing conversation demonstrated hcsmca’s community cohesiveness, resulted in an informative discussion, and deepened the community’s sense of purpose and influence. Because the hcsmca community relies on Twitter for the majority of its online interactions, one might think it would be more susceptible to abuse with little recourse to correct misbehavior. However, the tight-knit nature of the community and its unified understanding of the community’s purpose guards its principles and guides the behavior of newcomers, quickly correcting or rejecting misuse.

Clinical study recruitment may be desirable in some health communities. If so, guidelines and criteria about how, what, and where to post for recruitment should be readily available for researchers to consult. Recruitment policies may change as a community matures. For example, a request for photo subjects was posted on Virtual Hospice when the community was just starting out [4]. The post was removed and the poster, who had no interest in becoming a community member, was invited to submit the request through more appropriate channels of the organization. In a more mature community, such a request may not have been inappropriate.

As these examples demonstrate, undesirable behavior does happen in online communities, but responsive community management can maintain the integrity, reliability, and value of the collective community knowledge.

  1. ‎Peebles R, Wilson JL, Litt IF, Hardy KK, Lock JD, Mann JR, et al. Disordered eating in a digital age: eating behaviors, health, and quality of life in users of websites with pro-eating disorder content. J Med Internet Res 2012 Oct;14(5):e148 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  2. ‎Sinardo H, Young C. CancerConnection Community Guidelines.: Canadian Cancer Society; 2013.[WebCite Cache]
  3. ‎Canadian Cancer Society. CancerConnection/Parlonscancer Online Community Terms of Use.[WebCite Cache]
  4. ‎Allan E. Canadian Virtual Hospice. Community Post: Help needed to reach participants for Photo-documentary book “Facing Death”[WebCite Cache]
TAGGED:online health communities
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
Health
July 31, 2025
holistic dental
Holistic Dentist Services Are Natural and Safe
Dental health Specialties
July 28, 2025
botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025
Telemedicine Apps
Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
Health
July 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Telemedicine Market Shows Strong Growth Due to Healthcare Changes

November 19, 2014
mhealth in thailand
eHealthMobile Health

Mobile Health Around the Globe: Thailand’s Vibhavadi Hospital Trials New Zealand mHealth System

August 5, 2013
Apple Watch
eHealthMobile HealthTechnologyWellness

The Apple Watch Letdown: Healthcare’s Grand Disappointment  

March 29, 2015

Managing Marriage’s End With a Mobile: Apps During Divorce

June 28, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?