Online Behaviors, Offline Consequences? Linking Online Traces of Health Information Use to Observed Communication During Medical Consultations

Research suggests that online health information (OHI) influences offline communication with doctors. However, previous studies have largely examined this with self-reports that are subject to bias. Drawing from unique website trace data and videotaped observations of 232 patients, this study investigates how OHI use relates to participatory communication behaviors during consultations (i.e., question asking and concern expression about various topics). Multivariate analyses showed that the number of Web pages viewed related to greater question asking, unlike the time spent viewing these Web pages. Relying behavioral data, we provide empirical evidence showing that these online activities associate differently with people’s offline communication with doctors. Specifically, it is not how long but rather the various information people are exposed to that matters. This study gives insight into the offline consequences of online behavior in the health context and discusses the implications for theorizing the role of computer-mediated communication in today’s digital information society.