SynthesisJournal of medical Internet research2021
Online Communities as a Driver for Patient Empowerment: Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Journal of medical Internet research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 101 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Empowering Role of Web-Based Help Seeking on Depressive Symptoms: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Pooled it
- Empowerment through technology: A systematic evaluation of the content and quality of mobile applications to empower individuals with cancer.International journal of medical informatics · 2022Pooled it
- Nursing Interventions for Patient Empowerment during Intensive Care Unit Discharge: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- The Double-Edged Nature of Patient-to-Patient Interactions in Digital Healthcare Communities: A Qualitative Study of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in China.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Pre-operative concerns and post-operative satisfaction: comparing attitudes toward bariatric surgery and medication intervention for weight loss on Reddit.Surgical endoscopy · 2026Article
- Patients' Real-World Experiences With Pharmacologic Therapies for Irritable Bowel Syndrome With Constipation: A Mixed-Methods Analysis and Classification of Social Media and E-Forum Posts.Neurogastroenterology and motility · 2026Article
- "Why Aren't You Listening?": How Experiences of Endometriosis, Medical Dismissal, and Psychological Distress Should Influence Assessment and Interventions.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Informal Treatment Practices in Ornamental Aquaria: An Overlooked Interface Between Aquatic Animal Health, Antimicrobial Stewardship, and One Health.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- A Mobile App (Tpro) for Symptom Management in Patients With Deep Vein Thrombosis Based on Patient-Reported Outcomes: Design and Development Using an Iterative Convergent Mixed Methods Approach.JMIR human factors · 2026Article
- Coproducing an Online Platform for People With Long-Term Physical Health Conditions: Development and Usability Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Pathways and Roadblocks in Navigating Online Cancer Communities: Qualitative Study Among Young Adult Cancer Survivors.JMIR cancer · 2026Article
- Investigating the Association of Subjective Numeracy, Interpersonal Communication, and Perceived Discrimination With Watching Health-Related Videos on Social Media Platforms: Cross-Sectional Analysis.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- The role of mobile devices in fostering the engagement of stigmatized patients in online health communities.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Mapping Characteristics, Applications, and Implementation Challenges of Virtual Communities in Cancer Care: NASSS Framework-Informed Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Exploring Empowerment in Online Support Communities for People Living With Tic Disorders and Tourette Syndrome: Qualitative Survey Study of User Experiences.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Understanding How Discourse Themes in an Online Mental Health Community on Twitter/X Drive Varied Population-Specific Empowerment Processes in Alignment With Global Standards: A Qualitative Analysis of #BipolarClub.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Quality and Misinformation About Health Conditions in Online Peer Support Groups: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Internet use for health information, health service utilization, and quality of care in the U.S.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Clusters of Patient Empowerment and Mental Health Literacy Differentiate Professional Help-Seeking Attitudes in Online Mental Health Communities Users.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2025Article
- Best practices for the collection and analysis of patient experience data from social media for patient-focused drug development.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe use of online resources has changed how people manage health care processes. Patients seek information about health conditions, guidance in treatment, and support from peers online, complementary to traditional health care trajectories. Online communities have the potential to contribute to the quality of care by increasing patient empowerment; however, there is a gap in research regarding in what way online communities contribute to patient empowerment.
objectiveWe synthesized research regarding how online communities contribute to patient empowerment to address the research question "In what ways can participation in online communities support patient empowerment?" by studying how patient empowerment is operationalized in different studies. The definition of patient empowerment used in this paper is enablement for people to develop mastery over actions and control over decisions that influence their lives. The mastery is both through processes and outcomes of the development.
methodsA systematic review was conducted by searching in the following databases: Scopus, ACM Digital Library, EBSCO (CINAHL and MEDLINE), PubMed, and Web of Science. In total, there were 1187 papers after excluding duplicates, and through selection processes using an analytical framework with definitions of patient empowerment and related concepts, 33 peer-reviewed papers were included.
resultsFindings indicated that online communities support patient empowerment both as a process and as outcomes of these processes. Additionally, it was seen as a complement to traditional health care and encouragement for health care professionals to have a more positive attitude toward patients' usage. There was a mix between deductive (19/33, 58%), inductive (11/33, 33%), and a mixed approach (3/33, 9%) of studying patient empowerment in various forms. The online communities in most papers (21/33, 64%) were well-established and represented patients' initiatives.
conclusionsThere is a need to include professionals' perspectives regarding how health care can embrace patient empowerment through online communities. This systematic review's main contribution is the proposal of a new framework and conceptualization of how patient empowerment in online communities can be understood from different hierarchical levels.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.