“Bridging Gaps, Distorting Emotions”: The Double-Edged Sword of Surrogate Communication in Online Medical Consultations for Elderly Patients

Feiyan Huang

doi:10.54691/6mm94079

Authors

Feiyan Huang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54691/6mm94079

Keywords:

Online Healthcare; Elderly Patients; Discourse Analysis; Physician-Patient Communication; Surrogate Seeking.

Abstract

The digital divide in an aging China has fostered the prevalent phenomenon of "surrogate seeking" in online healthcare, where family members consult doctors on behalf of elderly patients. However, the impact of this mediation on the emotional dynamics of physician-patient communication remains critically under explored. Grounded in Social Support Theory and the Model of Patient-Centered Empathic Communication, this study employs discourse analysis of 100 consultation transcripts from leading Chinese online health platforms to unravel the patterns of emotional interaction. Our findings reveal a distinct divergence in emotional appeals: surrogates express concerns explicitly, while elderly patients convey them indirectly. Physicians predominantly respond with non-immediate empathy, prioritizing medical task completion. Furthermore, surrogate involvement demonstrates a dual-edged effect, acting as both an informational bridge and a source of emotional distortion. This study provides critical insights for designing age-friendly telemedicine interfaces and refining physician communication strategies in surrogate-facilitated consultations.

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