Predicting Consultation Success in Online Health Platforms Using Dynamic Knowledge Networks and Multimodal Data Fusion

Online healthcare consultation in virtual health is an emerging industry marked by innovation and fierce competition. Accurate and timely prediction of healthcare consultation success can proactively help online platforms address patient concerns and improve retention rates. However, predicting online consultation success is challenging due to the partial role of virtual consultations in patients' overall healthcare journey and the disconnect between online and in-person healthcare IT systems. Patient data in online consultations is often sparse and incomplete, presenting significant technical challenges and a research gap. To address these issues, we propose the Dynamic Knowledge Network and Multimodal Data Fusion (DyKoNeM) framework, which enhances the predictive power of online healthcare consultations. Our work has important implications for new business models where specific and detailed online communication processes are stored in the IT database, and at the same time, latent information with predictive power is embedded in the network formed by stakeholders' digital traces. It can be extended to diverse industries and domains, where the virtual or hybrid model (e.g., integration of online and offline services) is emerging as a prevailing trend.