Lau, Annie YS, and Trevor MY Kwok. "Social features in online communities for healthcare consumers–a review." Online Communities and Social Computing: Third International Conference, OCSC 2009, Held as Part of HCI International 2009, San Diego, CA, USA, July 19-24, 2009. Proceedings 3. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2009.

This literature review delves into the usage of online communities by healthcare consumers, highlighting key activities such as seeking and sharing experiences, opinions, and social support. It points out that while these communities facilitate certain behaviors, they often lack support for collaborative decision-making, social comparison, and passive participation (lurking). The review underscores the critical need for trust, privacy, and safety in the design of these online platforms, especially considering the evolving landscape of Web 2.0.