Opportunities And Challenges of E-Health and Telemedicine Via Satelite

The introduction of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the health scenario is instrumental for the development of sustainable services of direct benefit for the European citizen. The setting up of satellite based applications will enhance rapidly the decentralisation and the enrichment of the European territory driving it towards a homogenous environment for healthcare

Feasibility of eHealth Implementation in India Learning from Global Experience

The present paper explores the factors for the effective implementation of eHealth in India by taking into account the diverse benefits and challenges at organization and practitioner’s level. The present study is exploratory in nature which has been carried out after comparing the study across the globe. Various benefits and challenges explored from previous studies are used to discover the factors for effective implementation of ehealth in India. Findings of study centered to identify factors for effective implementation of eHealth at four different levels: Practitioners’ level, Organizational Level, Patients’ Level, and Government level. The most important factors at practitioners level are an alignment of the practitioners with objectives and making adequate arrangements for training of the practitioners. The important factors required to overcome problems at practitioners level are perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and attitude to use eHealth. At the organization level, important factors are an alignment of stakeholders with current goals, skills set of staff, the relationship among healthcare professionals, capacity for implementation, training and development and employees motivations. At this level, important factors to deal with these challenges are customer value, to build trust in the healthcare provider, interoperability among different healthcare providers, characteristics and mindset of healthcare providers. At the government level, the imperative factors as required to handle different challenges are government policies, sources of funds, reliable health infrastructure and engagement of various stakeholders. Other important factors at this level are the status of eHealth readiness in different areas and levels, social influences and human development index. This paper highlights the eHealth experiences across the globe and identifies various benefits and challenges in the implementation of eHealth, which will help the decision makers at a different level in India to successfully integrate information technology with healthcare.

Engaging ICTs as a “Tool” for eHealth prioritization on human development and poverty reduction in the African region

The association connecting information and communication technologies (ICTs) and well-being or poverty remains vague and research today has resulted to divergent conclusions. This paper defines ICTs as “tools” that facilitate communication and the processing and transmission of information and the sharing of knowledge by electronic means. In the African region context, we examine ICTs utilization that aims to improve the provision, access and information management in the health sector. This paper considers access to information as very important benefits that can be achieved in many areas including economic growth, education and healthcare. In healthcare, the roles that ICT plays in ensuring that health information is provided to healthcare providers and consumers to support improving the health of individuals and strengthening health systems, disease detection and prevention are crucial to development and poverty reduction as stated in the UN’s MDGs. For example, access to appropriate information can minimise visits to physicians and periods of hospitalisation for patients suffering from chronic conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, hypertension and HIV/AIDS. This will in turn reduce the cost of healthcare provision. ICTs have the potential to impact almost every aspect of health sector. The paper then proposed how ICTs can be used to reduce poverty and ensure that health information is well administered and reaches the right people, at the right time and in the right form

Deconstructing (e)health literacy: aspects that promote and inhibit understanding of health information in breast cancer patient pathways

Purpose: Deconstructing current definitions of “health literacy (HL)” and “eHealth literacy (eHL)”, into the core notion of “understanding health information (HI)”, this study provides insights into what promotes and inhibits the understanding of HI for breast cancer patients during cancer patient pathways (CCP) in Norway. Methods: Seven well-educated women were interviewed. Through a stepwise deductive-inductive analysis of the transcribed interviews, the following topics were identified: 1) explanations accompanied by drawings, 2) individualized knowledge-based information, 3) information processing capacity, and 4) ambiguity in medical information. Results: The women's understanding of HI increased when spoken communication was accompanied by visual illustrations, which served as roadmaps throughout the CPP. Even if HI should be targeted to the patients’ individual needs, some HI can be generalized if it refers to established knowledge about the health phenomena. The women described their changing mental and physical status during the CPP and how these changes influenced their understanding of HI. Conclusion: The results challenge the idea that HL and eHL are fixed, stable, personal characteristics. On the contrary, HL/eHL, in this case particularly the understanding of HI, depends on the individual (temporary) physical and cognitive capacity of the patient and adaptation in the institutional and private contexts.publishedVersio

The Integrated Mental Health Atlas of the Far West

Mental Health Commission of New South Wale

The role and impact of digital and traditional information and communication pathways in health service access and equity

This review of the literature was conducted by Flinders University (SA Community Health Research Unit and Southgate Institute for Health Society & Equity) to provide an overview of changing communications in health promotion to inform the Falls Prevention Project of Country Health SA’s Local Health Network. The context is that falls health literacy information is being increasingly made available via digital formats, including the Internet. This is in line with healthcare around the world increasingly moving to e-health (the delivery or enhancement of health services through the Internet and related technologies). There are particular expectations that for rural Australians making health services and information available through digital formats will overcome existing problems with access and availability. Despite a large amount of activity in the area of e-health, there is a scarce evidence base on the equity impacts of e-health promotion