Understanding Trust Determinants in a Live Chat Service on Familial Cancer: Qualitative Triangulation Study With Focus Groups and Interviews in Germany.

Journal: Journal of medical Internet research
Published Date:

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In dealing with familial cancer risk, seeking web-based health information can be a coping strategy for different stakeholder groups (ie, patients, relatives, and those suspecting an elevated familial cancer risk). In the vast digital landscape marked by a varied quality of web-based information and evolving technologies, trust emerges as a pivotal factor, guiding the process of health information seeking and interacting with digital health services. This trust formation in health information can be conceptualized as context dependent and multidimensional, involving 3 key dimensions: information seeker (trustor), information provider (trustee), and medium or platform (application). Owing to the rapid changes in the digital context, it is critical to understand how seekers form trust in new services, given the interplay among these different dimensions. An example of such a new service is a live chat operated by physicians for the general public with personalized cancer-related information and a focus on familial cancer risk.

Authors

  • Hanna Luetke Lanfer
    School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.
  • Doreen Reifegerste
    School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.
  • Annika Berg
    School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.
  • Paula Memenga
    Department of Journalism and Communication Research, Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
  • Eva Baumann
    Department of Journalism and Communication Research, Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
  • Winja Weber
    Krebsinformationsdienst, Heidelberg, Germany.
  • Julia Geulen
    Krebsinformationsdienst, Heidelberg, Germany.
  • Anne Müller
    BRCA-Netzwerk, Bonn, Germany.
  • Andrea Hahne
    BRCA-Netzwerk, Bonn, Germany.
  • Susanne Weg-Remers
    Krebsinformationsdienst, Heidelberg, Germany.