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Journal of Health Psychology
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Communities of Care and Caring: The Case of MSWatch.com®

Robert Weis

Weis Communications, USA, weiscmu{at}aol.com

Keith Stamm

University of Washington, USA

Craig Smith

Swedish Medical Center MS Center, Seattle, USA

Michael Nilan

Syracuse University, USA

Fiona Clark

University of Washington, USA

Joan Weis

Seattle, USA

Kate Kennedy

Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, USA

Can a health-care website stimulate its members to become a `community of care and caring', facilitating both medical `information' and personal `support'? This study of MSWatch.com provides conceptual distinctions about `ties' to a `community' and raises questions about communications designed to serve patients with Multiple Sclerosis. An online survey of members of the website shows that members tend to: (1) make use of both its health-care information (care) and support (caring) functions, especially the former; (2) evaluate the website more highly overall if they make use of both information and support; (3) use the website the most during early stages of the disease; and (4) enhance their ties to the virtual community through using communication information and support.

Key Words: community • community ties • health-care community • patient community • virtual community

Journal of Health Psychology, Vol. 8, No. 1, 135-148 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/1359105303008001449
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