Study of web-based peer discussion: the domain of scleroderma

摘要

The growing popularity of the internet has made it easier and faster to find health information on rare and poorly understood disease topics. Much of this information is valuable, though the internet also allows rapid and widespread distribution of false and misleading information, especially through peer-based networks. Providers frequently advise that it is important for people to carefully consider the source of lay information and to discuss the clinical information they find with their healthcare provider. Using a grounded theory approach, we seek to identify recurring themes of peer-based interaction, in a domain of frequent clinical uncertainty and oft-perceived social stigma, scleroderma.