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The Impact of Social Influence on the Intention to Use Physician Rating Websites: Moderated Mediation Analysis Using
Bernhard Guetz1, Sonja Bidmon1
1Department of Marketing and International Management, Alpen-Adria-Universitaet Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt am Woerthersee, Austria.
Journal of Medical Internet Research
|November 14, 2022
Summary
Social influence indirectly impacts the intention to use physician rating websites (PRWs) through credibility and performance expectancy. This highlights the potential of social influence, including social media influencers, to increase PRW adoption in healthcare.
Area of Science:
- Digital Health
- Health Informatics
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Physician rating websites (PRWs) are increasingly significant in healthcare digitalization.
- Social influence, from peers and social media influencers (SMIs), significantly impacts health decisions.
- The role of social influence on the intention to use PRWs remains underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of social influence on the behavioral intention to use physician rating websites (PRWs).
- To investigate the mediating roles of credibility and performance expectancy in this relationship.
Main Methods:
- A mixed-methods approach involving two studies with 712 Austrian participants.
- Linear regression, mediation, and moderated mediation analyses were employed.
- Statistical analysis utilized SPSS with the PROCESS macro.
Main Results:
- Study 1 (experiment) found no direct effect, but an indirect effect of social influence on PRW use intention via credibility and performance expectancy.
- Study 2 (cross-sectional) showed a direct impact of social influence on PRW use intention, partly explained by credibility and performance expectancy.
- Neither demographic nor psychographic variables significantly moderated the influencing chain.
Conclusions:
- Social influence indirectly impacts the intention to use PRWs, primarily through perceived credibility and performance expectancy.
- Social influence, including from social media influencers (SMIs), can potentially increase the adoption and utilization of PRWs.
- PRW providers may benefit from collaborating with SMIs to leverage social influence for marketing and user engagement.
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