Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Sep 21, 2022
Date Accepted: Nov 17, 2023
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
The association between linguistic characteristics of physicians’ communication and their economic return: insights from web-based consultations
ABSTRACT
Background:
Web-based healthcare is a promising means of alleviating the disparities in healthcare access. For instance, it enables patients with limited mobility to avail of convenient consultations. Undoubtedly, such benefits are dependent on the active participation of physicians. The economic return of internet-based healthcare initiatives can significantly motivate physicians to continue their participation. Numerous studies have investigated the communication patterns and influences of online health consultations. However, the correlation between the economic return of physicians and their communication characteristics remains unexplored.
Objective:
We distinguished between two types of communication: instrumental, and affective, and investigated how different types of communication and linguistic features determined the economic returns of physicians. To this end, we extended the professional-client interaction theory to the online healthcare domain. Second, we examined whether the communication media, specifically text and voice messages, moderated the influencing path.
Methods:
We collected 11,896 instances of online consultations from the homepages of 184 physicians from a large web-based healthcare service platform in China. The data included their communication content and payment information. Communication features were extracted using linguistic inquiry and word count. We tested the direct effects of communication features on consultation payments and the moderating effects of media using multivariable linear regression and SPSS process model 1.
Results:
Cognitive processing language (i.e., causation, tentativeness, and certainty-related words) in instrumental communication and affective processing language (i.e., positive emotion and anxiety-related words) in affective communication are positively associated with the economic return of physicians. However, the extensive use of discrepant and anger-related words could generate adverse effects. Additionally, the use of voice messages for service delivery further magnified the positive effects of words expressing certainty and mitigated the impact of words related to causation, anxiety, and anger.
Conclusions:
This study offers empirical evidence of the relationship between instrumental and affective communication characteristics and the economic return of physicians. In so doing, it intensifies our understanding of patient-physician interactions from the professional-client perspective. Our findings also contribute significant practical implications for physicians and web-based healthcare platform executives.
Citation
