Repetitions in online doctor–patient communication: Frequency, functions, and reasons

To attain insights into language repetition during online doctor-patient communication (DPC), understand why doctors and patients use repetition, and improve the current deficiencies in online medical platforms.The study performed a content analysis of 72 sets of textual doctor-patient conversations on the Chinese online medical consultation platform Chunyu Doctor.Repetitions occurred 1412 times in the 72 sets of online DPC. Patient self-repetitions were the most prevalent (30.7 %), while patient repetitions of doctors were the least common (17.1 %). Doctors used repetitions for explanations and affirmations. Patients used repetition for emphasis, verification, and turn-taking. The repetition frequencies of doctors and patients were primarily influenced by personal factors. However, doctor-dimension factors exerted a greater impact on the frequency of patient repetitions.The reasons for repetitions in online DPC differ from those offline. Online DPC increases patient initiative and reduces doctor authority. Nevertheless, it could be affected by gender stereotypes generated during offline consultations. Doctors still dominated the conversations but attended sufficiently to the patient discourse. Online DPC is gradually attempting to fulfill the expectations of a new patient-centered healthcare pattern.The findings yield suggestions for healthcare providers and the designers of online healthcare platforms.