Using Design Science Research to Develop a Secure Social Platform for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Abstract

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices are being used by a growing number of individuals. However, many patients do not disclose this information to their physicians, which can lead to ineffective or even harmful treatment. Social platforms and mobile applications are an efficient approach to bridge this communication gap between patients, CAM practitioners, and western medicine physicians. We utilize a design science approach to design, build, and evaluate a secure CAM social platform. We demonstrate the utility and value of the tool using a Systems Usability Scale and data from Google Analytics. The current study identifies gaps in patient-physician communication related to CAM disclosure and provides an empirically validated and secure tool to improve the process. Further, it demonstrates how a social platform can organize more efficiently the efforts related to successful CAM communication. The study also identifies best practices in designing and developing mechanisms for patient engagement and empowerment.