BACKGROUND
Although COVID-19 increased interest in online patient communities, it also created challenges to maintain moderation and desired outcomes. How can leaders in online communities resiliently address such unexpected challenges arising from external threats?
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the experience of one online patient community, Mayo Clinic Connect, to identify what challenges arise when faced with an external threat, what interventions are put in place to address those challenges, and what structures and processes effectively build resilience in community leaders.
METHODS
We use semi-structured interviews and observational data from Mayo Clinic Connect, a thriving online patient community, as a case study to answer our research questions. We used both a priori and inductive coding techniques to analyze our qualitative data.
RESULTS
In the case of Mayo Clinic Connect, the major challenge was losing a support team of staff moderators. As volunteer member leaders stepped up to fill this void, other challenges surfaced such as exhaustion and burnout of the volunteer member leaders. Amidst many interventions, an intervention of a bi-weekly meeting hosted by the community director was implemented to coach, support, and build capacity of the volunteer member group.
CONCLUSIONS
Online patient communities benefit from having a leadership core of volunteer members. When external shocks impact the community, these members act as slack resources to help resiliently sustain the community. However, when these members experience their own challenges, online communities should have a plan in place to provide support.