Identification Metrics Regarding Lay Expertise in Online Health Communities

The healthcare sector is undergoing profound changes, driven in particular by economic and administrative factors. This chapter looks at the issue of expertise within online communities and the resulting information management issues. Collaborative web technologies offer unprecedented potential in terms of transmitting lay knowledge. Despite their controversial nature, online health communities bring together non‐specialist users sharing knowledge related to their experiences with health issues. The increased accessibility of health information would facilitate the process of self‐identification and the empowerment of patients by helping them to make responsible and informed health decisions. Several measures can describe individual user engagement or highlight the vitality of user groups within the community. The chapter proposes identifying four main groups of contributions on Doctissimo, each related to a particular type of lay expertise: informational support, emotional support, personal narrative, and community aspects.