The Role of User-Generated Content in the Sustainable Development of Online Healthcare Communities: Exploring the Moderating Influence of Signals

Grounded in signaling theory, this study explores the influence of user-generated content (UGC) within online healthcare communities on patient purchasing behavior, with the overarching goal of advancing the development of online medical consultation services and contributing to the sustainable evolution of the online healthcare community. Leveraging publicly available data from the “Haodf.com”, we construct an empirical model of online medical consultation purchases, integrating principles from signaling theory and trust theory. Our analysis scrutinizes the effects of various forms of UGC on patient purchasing behavior, alongside the moderating influence of associated signals. The results demonstrate that knowledge-sharing articles authored by doctors and patient ratings positively impact consultation service purchases, whereas public displays of doctors’ past consultation records impede such transactions. Furthermore, external signals were found to moderate the relationship between UGC and consultation service purchases. The implications of these findings offer actionable insights for stakeholders invested in online healthcare communities.