Communicative patterns in online health communities: A comparative study of Italian and Polish.

ABSTRACT: This paper explores how online health platforms influence communication between patients and healthcare professionals, focusing on anxiety-related interactions in Italy and Poland. The study examines pairs of questions and answers, selected from Q&A services, within MioDottore and ZnanyLekarz, two medical platforms operating in these countries, with the main aim of identifying cross-cultural similarities and differences in communication strategies. Anxiety was chosen as a case study because it is one of the most prevalent mental health conditions, as revealed by research and national statistics, and because it is a prominent topic of discussion within online medical communities. Italy and Poland were chosen for comparison because of their different linguistic and socio-cultural contexts. D

SUBMITTER: Bongelli R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12456825 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature