Advantages and Challenges of E-health Technology

What is eHealth?

E-Health is 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.

E-Health technology can be used to disseminate health-related information or services among the health care providers, patients, and clinics. Across-the-board, e-Health is a segment of health informatics which includes m-Health and telemedicine.

Challenges and Advantages of eHealth

Challenges

• Structuring of all health information systems, from the time when the content and arrangement of all health information systems should be standardized.
• It might be time-consuming to bring up to date the EHR comprehensively.
• The unavailability or lack of basic infrastructure, such as an internet connection.
• The lack of application software.
• The financial barrier in procurement.
• Shortage of IT and clinical resources.
• Trouble in learning and using the software.
• Personnel costs.
• Even though it saves time, the decline list of options in health information systems may perhaps lack comprehensive information.
   

Advantages

• eHealth conveys the promises and excitement of bringing e-commerce to health care.
• It provides quick access to patient records and information for efficient health care.
• Reduced paperwork, reduced duplication of costs, etc. thus reducing the cost of health care.
• Reduced medical errors and better clinical decision making.
• Better health care by improving all aspects of patient care, including safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, communication, education, timeliness, efficiency, and equity.
• Better health by encouraging healthier lifestyles in the entire population, including increased physical activity, better nutrition, avoidance of behavioral risks, and wider use of preventative care.
• eHealth is the cost‐effective and protected use of facts and communication technologies (ICT) in favor of health and health-related fields.
• It covers more than a few interventions, together with telehealth, telemedicine, mobile health (mHealth), electronic medical or health records (EMR/EHR), big data, wearable’s, and even artificial intelligence.
• The role of e-health has been acknowledged as crucial in accomplishing supreme health priorities such as universal health coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

eHealth can be a promising vehicle for health care provision. More strategic approaches are necessary for the planning, development, and implementation of m-Health. International and national health organizations should focus more on the improvement of e-health technology to make it adapted for the benefits of patients. However, m-Health should not be considered as an ultimate remedy to increase the coverage of health care delivery. It should go side by side along with regular clinical visits and follow-up practices. Finally, new, and uprising eHealth technologies have huge potential to bridge the gaps between patient and healthcare support providers. Incorporating technology into medical care can ensure a patient-centered health care system.

References

https://epha.org/key-challenges-for-ehealth/

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