{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,22]],"date-time":"2025-02-22T05:36:58Z","timestamp":1740202618893,"version":"3.37.3"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"IOS Press","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2010]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>This paper presents an online prospective study investigating whether the strength of social feedback, i.e. the proportion of persons who concur or do not concur with one's own answer to a question, influences the way one answers health-related questions. Two hundred and twenty-seven undergraduate students were recruited to use an online search engine to answer six health-related questions. Subjects recorded their pre- and post-search answers to each question and their level of confidence in these answers. After answering each question post-search, subjects were presented with a summary of post-search answers provided by previous subjects and were asked to answer the question again. There was a statistically significant relationship between the absolute number of others with a different answer (the crowd's opinion volume) and the likelihood of an individual changing an answer (P &amp;lt; .0001). Subjects' likelihood of changing answer increased as the percentage of others with a different answer (the crowd's opinion density) increased (P = 0.047). Overall, 98.3% of subjects did not change their answer when it concurred with the majority (i.e. &amp;gt; 50%) of subjects. When subjects had a post-search answer that did not concur with the majority, they were 24% more likely to change answer than those with answers that concurred (P &amp;lt; .0001). This study provides empirical evidence that strength of social feedback influences the way healthcare consumers answer health-related questions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3233\/978-1-60750-588-4-33","type":"book-chapter","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,21]],"date-time":"2025-02-21T18:09:19Z","timestamp":1740161359000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Influence of Crowds on Consumer Health Decisions: An Online Prospective Study"],"prefix":"10.3233","author":[{"family":"Lau Annie Y.S.","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"family":"Kwok Trevor M.Y.","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"family":"Coiera Enrico","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"7437","container-title":["Studies in Health Technology and Informatics","MEDINFO 2010"],"original-title":[],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,21]],"date-time":"2025-02-21T18:23:06Z","timestamp":1740162186000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.medra.org\/servlet\/aliasResolver?alias=iospressISSNISBN&issn=0926-9630&volume=160&spage=33"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2010]]},"references-count":0,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3233\/978-1-60750-588-4-33","relation":{},"ISSN":["0926-9630"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0926-9630","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2010]]}}}