Online activity and participation in treatment affects the perceived efficacy of social health networks among patients with chronic illness

Background: the use of online health-related social networks for support,peer-to-peer connections,and obtaining health information has increased dramatically. participation in an online health-related social network can enhance patients' self-efficacy and empowerment,as they are given knowledge and tools to manage their chronic health condition more effectively. thus,we can deduce that patient activation,the extent to which individuals are able to manage their own health care,also increases. however,little is known about the effects of participation in online health-related social networks and patient activation on the perceived usefulness of a website across disease groups. objective: the intent of the study was to evaluate the effects and benefits of participation in an online health-related social network and to determine which variables predict perceived site usefulness,while examining patient activation. methods: data were collected from camoni