Developing empathy and expertise in online health forums

This study explores the rhetoric in and relevance of online health forums. The study argues that online health forums allow patients to alter their position in relation to each other and to their illness, creating opportunities for empathic relationships, better quality of life, and better disease management. The ability to respond with empathy requires a participant to seek a different position for him/herself; when patients can alter their position in relation to their illness, from a position of self-focus to a position of parallel/peer and further to a position of empathic expert, their forum posts show a deepening level of empathy and they report a better level of disease management. The chapter argues that the rise of and continued access for participation in online health forums is an important, perhaps necessary component of patient “quality-of-life” in treatment for chronic, stigmatized illnesses.