title: Health care development: integrating transaction cost theory with social support theory.
abstract: The emergence of Web 2.0 technologies has already been influential in many industries, and Web 2.0 applications are now beginning to have an impact on health care. These new technologies offer a promising approach for shaping the future of modern health care, with the potential for opening up new opportunities for the health care industry as it struggles to deal with challenges including the need to cut costs, the increasing demand for health services and the increasing cost of medical technology. Social media such as social networking sites are attracting more individuals to online health communities, contributing to an increase in the productivity of modern health care and reducing transaction costs. This study therefore examines the potential effect of social technologies, particularly social media, on health care development by adopting a social support/transaction cost perspective. Viewed through the lens of Information Systems, social support and transaction cost theories indicate that social media, particularly online health communities, positively support health care development. The results show that individuals join online health communities to share and receive social support, and these social interactions provide both informational and emotional support.
authors: a Department of Management , Birkbeck, University of London , London , UK.
authors: M Nick
authors: MN
authors: Hajli
authors: b College of Information Technology, Department of Information Systems, Universiti Tenaga Nasional , Selangor , Malaysia.
authors: Mohana
authors: M
authors: Shanmugam
authors: c Institute to Society and Culture, Sociology , Tehran , Iran.
authors: Ali
authors: A
authors: Hajli
authors: d University of Science and Culture, School of Engineering , Tehran , Iran , and.
authors: Amir Hossein
authors: AH
authors: Khani
authors: e Department of Aviation and Supply Chain Management , Raymond J. Harbert College of Business, Auburn University , Auburn , AL , USA.
authors: Yichuan
authors: Y
authors: Wang
keywords: Health care; Web 2.0; online communities; social media; social support; transaction cost