Electronic Health Care Practice - Research Paper Example

? Electronic Health number: Lab section number: Lab Electronic Health Electronic health (e-health) is defined as the health care practice which is carried out by making use of information technology and electronic procedures. E-Health is a newly emerging field which is rapidly leading towards the improvement of health care in the developing countries. Gunther Eysenbach has defined eHealth as “an emerging field in the intersection of medical informatics, public health and business, referring to health services and information delivered or enhanced through the Internet and related technologies” (Gunther). E-Health provides services which let the doctors have an access to their patients’ data by maintaining their records and information about their diseases in databases and other e-Health tools, rather than using paper documents. They can assess the data, prepare prescriptions to be sent to the pharmacies via communication technology, get instant and accurate results from the laboratories directly, communicate with their patients on a regular basis no matter which part of the globe they live in, and give better suggestions regarding their health and lifestyle. On the other hand, the patients, here referred to as ePatients, can have access to doctors all around the world with the use of information and communication technology, telemedicine and e-Health systems, get diagnosis (known as remote diagnosis) and treatment regarding their diseases, and thus, remain better informed about their problems in particular and health care in general. There are a lot of e-Health forums, software and web links on the internet which allow e-patients to communicate with their doctors and with other fellow patients as well. If there is need for a patient to get in contact with a foreign doctor best suited for the treatment of his disease, or if his treatment can only be provided in some other country, then e-Health is there for him where, by using suitable e-Health systems, he can resolve his trouble. E-Health has a major contribution in solving the communication problem between the practitioners providing healthcare in remote areas and healthcare institutions in the city. E-Health brings the best healthcare providers in competition which enhances the quality of healthcare practice. It has created a trustworthy doctor-patient relationship as e-Health systems ensure the patients’ privacy. It has also made it possible to achieve online education about healthcare through online sources. It provides tools, known as e-Health tools which facilitate health services like diagnosis and treatment. These include electronic databases, mobile monitors, health portals, and many more. E-Health is also cost-effective as money is not spent on staffing and traveling resources. The European Union (EU) is the leader in the development of e-Health systems and tools. According to a rough estimate, EU has spent almost €500 million of research funding on e-Health since 1990 (Europa). Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there who do not have access to computer and internet, or they have less knowledge about technological advances, and thus they cannot benefit from the services of e-Health, despite the fact that such people are the most deserving of getting proper healthcare. In short, E-Health not only acts as a platform where the health care providers, authorities and hospitals can work closer to each other, but also acts as a medium between the doctors and patients- a medium that is just in accordance with the latest technology and the modern era. E-Health is not merely a big step in the new technology, it is also “a state-of-mind, a way of thinking, an attitude, and a commitment for networked, global thinking, to improve health care locally, regionally, and worldwide by using information and communication technology” (Eysenbach). Table 1 summarizes the advantages of e-Health described so far. Why the issue is important to me? The issue of e-Health is important to me because it can relate to my everyday life since I am a big fan of ICT and telemedicine. These two are important branches of e-Health (see Figure 1). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) ICT is of primary importance in the field of e-Health. It has made it possible to provide faster, reliable, cost-effective and responsive solutions to mankind in the health sector. I use ICT to have a better knowledge about any illness I am suffering from. I can communicate with my physicians and fellow sufferers. Fieschi (qtd. in Karsenti and Charlin) states that ICT has enabled the patients to be part of the health decision process who are constantly requesting to view and access the data about their disease contained in their medical records. Physicians use ICT systems to analyze and access their patients’ records and have a peer-to-peer communication. Telemedicine Telemedicine is the process that involves exchange of medical information between people/physicians/patients residing at different places through the use of technology (see Figure 2). The information may be about patients and their medical histories, or it may be general information about medical issues and health care. When this information is shared with the use of electronic equipment, it is called telemedicine. It has acquired great importance in e-Health as it provides faster and safer services both to the doctors and the patients. The main benefit of telemedicine is that it has made monitoring of distant patients possible. Now, I do not have to go through the hassle of traveling to the physicians if I am living in remote area. I or my physicians can discuss the illness and reports with the specialists in bigger cities through audio and video conferencing and make decisions collectively. Conclusion This paper was a discussion on the newly emerging technology, E-Health, which has promised high-quality and easily accessible health care services with low costs. The minimum the e-risks associated with using the e-Health services, the larger the number of e-Patients. There is a large population who seeks medical information online using broadband and wireless systems. The medical information sought over the internet is most often related to healthcare professionals, disease-specific websites, reviews of hospitals, cross-border medical facilities, health insurance, opinions and views of peers on online newsgroups or blogs. E-Health has made internet-savvy patients more eager and conscious about their health and illness. It has greatly affected the doctor-patient relationship where doctors tend to be a helpful guide for the patients and patients tend to be more empowered regarding their healthcare. Now, it is easier to get treatment using telemedicine technology even for remote patients. Technology-based tools have ensured the privacy and security of patient’s personal information which has brought a large number of consumers to use the internet confidently. Thus, we can say that the internet, telemedicine and ICT based e-Solutions have greatly blessed the consumers with the most effective health care ever possible, and it has entirely changed the lifestyle and consumers’ perspective toward their health. Sr. # Advantages of E-Health 1. Helps physicians maintain records and information about their patients and diseases in databases and e-Health tools. 2. No need of error prone paper work. 3. Helps physicians communicate with their patients and vice versa, no matter which part of the globe they live in. 4. Is cost-effective as money is not spent on staffing and traveling resources. Table 1: Advantages of E-Health Figure 1: SmartArt illustration Works Cited Europa. “European Market.” What is eHealth? Europe’s Information Society, 2011. Web. 10 Feb 2012. . Eysenbach, Gunther. “What is E-health?” Journal of Medical Internet Research, 3.2(2001): e20. Karsenti, Thierry, and Charlin, Bernard. “Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Medical Education and Practice: The Major Challenges.” International Journal of Technologies in Higher Education, 5.2(2008): 68-81. Figure 1: Image- Telemedicine. Web. n.d. < http://www.transformingthenation.com.au/2011/03/electronic-health-telemedicine-technologies/> Read More