Use Of eHealth Research Articles

Awareness and Use of Virtual Clinics following the COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia.

Studies have shown that virtual clinics enjoyed high use and high patient satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, virtual clinics are expected to be the new normal mode of receiving care after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to assess public awareness and use of virtual clinics following the pandemic and identify factors associated with virtual clinic use. Methods: A cross-sectional design was employed in which data were collected via a structured online questionnaire based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) domains: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and social influence. Participants were selected based on the non-probability sampling of convenience. Univariate, bivariate, and binary logistic regression models were used for analysis. Results: A total of 405 responses were received; of those, 286 (70.6%) were aware of the existence of virtual clinics and 99 (34.6%) were post-pandemic users. Among users, 50% used virtual clinics more than two times, 72% used virtual clinics to seek care for themselves, with the vast majority using it via voice calls (83.8%), and for visits to the family medicine clinic (55%). Young adults, females, single adults, those with a higher level of education, the employed, and those with lower income were more likely to use virtual clinics (p < 0.05). The logistic regression model showed that 20% of the variation in virtual clinic use was explained by perceived usefulness and perceived use (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study showed high awareness of virtual clinics among the population following the COVID-19 pandemic, with one-third being active users. Age, gender, marital status, education, income, employment status, perceived usefulness, and ease of use are associated with virtual clinics’ awareness and use. Considering those factors is important when planning for sustained use of e-health and virtual care.

CN6 E-health applied to oncology treatment, education and knowledge for cancer care: A systematic review

E-health, by WHO definition, incorporates a range of standards, tools and activities that use electronic means to deliver information, resources and services about health and social care. At the heart of e-health is a vision of improving the quality of health information, strengthening national health systems and ensuring accessible, high-quality health care for all. The use of e-health interventions is effective in improving patient experiences and outcomes. To increase evidence about supportive e-health interventions that include nursing interventions for education to oncology patients under treatment. Subsequently to improve the quality of oncology care by analysing the data in a potential model for e-health application and how efficient health systems are. The review was done according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines (PRISMA). terms related to cancer, e-health, telemedicine and nursing interventions were searched in the following databases: CINAHL® Plus, Nursing & Allied Health Collection, Cochrane Plus Collection, MEDLINE®, EBSCOhost, Scopus & Joanna Briggs from the last five years. Languages as: English, Spanish and Portuguese, published in last 5 years (January 2017 till February 2022). Seventeen (n = 17) studies were identified. Different designs; quantitative and qualitative methods were included. Reviews and Systematic reviews, prospective cohorts, quasi-experimental and pilot studies were included. The results focus on a technology-based intervention that aims to improve cancer care, health and wellbeing; All the interventions were applied to cancer patients, apply for cancer caregivers (n=1) and young adults with cancer (n=1). E-Health has an enormous potential to improve healthcare cost, effectiveness, and quality of care. Feasibility of internet-based was demonstrated, E-Health use in clinical oncology has had a significant impact on the delivery of cancer care. Nurses in multidisciplinary teams are considerate well placed to support adherence to treatment among cancer patients, E-health helps to manage better care because it can simplify interprofessional team care.

EFFECTIVENESS E-HEALTH TO SELF MANAGEMENT OF DIABETES MELLITUS TYPE 2 : LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction: Patient and nurse is constructive relationship beneficial in a self-management support approach. Research shows e-health intervention has the potential to support self-management for adults with type 2 diabetes. The purpose this article to apply the application of e-health to people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Method: Method is search journal articles through basic data in ProQuest, Clinical key, EBSCO with a time span of 2018-2022, using the keywords "e-health intervention" and "diabetes mellitus type 2". The number of related articles is 10 journals. Results: Results the literature review conducted showed that e-health has an effective and efficient impact on self-management in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, nurses can find time to find out the progress of people with diabetes mellitus, reduce the incidence of diabetes and complications. Conclusion: Conclusion the use of e-health in self-management of people with diabetes mellitus has provided positive benefits for the development and improvement of service quality for the community. Health is a new medium in health services that requires broader knowledge and more in-depth practice, so the use of digital media in management needs to conduct further research in the focus of research on health. Keywords: e-health, self-management, diabetes mellitus.

Factors associated with eHealth use among community dwelling older adults.

With the proliferation of the internet and the development of internet-based healthcare interventions, eHealth is expected to be an effective complement to traditional healthcare services. However, without understanding the characteristics of the user population, eHealth itself can isolate older adults. This study aims to identify the characteristics of internet use and the factors associated with eHealth use among older adults. A secondary data analysis was conducted from a cross-sectional descriptive study. A convenience sample of 186 community dwelling older adults was recruited at two senior welfare centres in Korea. The data collected included demographic characteristics, health related characteristics, internet use, eHealth use and eHealth literacy. Multiple linear regression was utilized to determine factors related to eHealth use. Among 186 respondents, 98 reported that they used the internet. Internet usage was associated with educational attainment, marital status, cognitive function and possession of internet-enabled devices. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that greater eHealth usage was related to more positive perception of eHealth usability and better eHealth literacy among older adults. Educational programmes for older adults should be developed to facilitate digital capability and eHealth literacy. Useful and effective online health resources that are easy to use should be also developed.

Challenges in the Adoption of eHealth and mHealth for Adult Mental Health Management-Evidence from Romania.

New methods of connecting physicians and patients have arisen. Technology is playing a crucial role and the concept of hybrid doctor–patient relationship is considered relevant for the competitive health management system. At the same time, the need for knowledge about implementing policies and best practices into the system is highly demanding. Digital tools, such as eHealth or mHealth can improve the traditional approach to consulting patients without requiring face-to-face interaction. However, due to the discussion surrounding the adoption of these technologies, the authors performed the study with two marketing research methods. The first is qualitative and is related to the opinions, attitudes, and beliefs of Romanian experts on the use of eHealth and mHealth for the prevention, detection, and treatment of mild mental disorders. The second method quantifies the opinions, attitudes, and behaviours of Romanian adults on their openness to adopt new technologies for mental health management. The main findings of the research highlight three factors that can increase the chances of adults using technology for health-related needs: (1) accessibility (2) data security, and (3) content. These are the main aspects that influence the well-being of both young and older adults, who both need support regarding mental health management.

Electronic health strategies to improve medication adherence in patients with cardiometabolic disease: current status and future directions.

Enabled by widespread technological advancements, electronic health (eHealth) strategies have expanded rapidly over the last decade, presenting opportunities to support self-management including medication adherence for cardiometabolic disease control. eHealth can minimize access barriers to medications, enable timely assessment and shared decision-making, and provide medication reminders and health data feedback. This review summarizes current evidence for effectiveness of eHealth strategies for improving medication adherence in patients with hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and/or hyperlipidemia, and identifies priorities for future research. Current research supports the effectiveness of eHealth strategies to improve medication adherence and clinical outcomes for cardiometabolic disease. Although patient acceptability of eHealth strategies is generally high, engagement may decline over time. In addition, differences in effectiveness across intervention characteristics and sociodemographic groups are understudied, limiting generalizability and tailoring of interventions to local health system resources, culture, and patient needs or preferences. eHealth is a promising tool for addressing low medication adherence. Further work incorporating rigorous evaluation, assessment of patient engagement over time and effectiveness of intervention characteristics and components, and a health equity lens addressing eHealth use in vulnerable groups will increase understanding of the full potential of eHealth for improving medication adherence in diverse patients with cardiometabolic disease.

Digital tools/eHealth to support CKD self-management: A qualitative study of perceptions, attitudes and needs of patients and health care professionals in China

BackgroundA growing body of evidence supports the potential effectiveness of electronic health (eHealth) self-management interventions in improving disease self-management skills and health outcomes of patients suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, current research on CKD eHealth self-management interventions has almost exclusively focused on high-income, western countries. ObjectiveTo inform the adaptation of a tailored eHealth self-management intervention for patients with CKD in China based on the Dutch Medical Dashboard (MD) intervention, we examined the perceptions, attitudes and needs of Chinese patients with CKD and health care professionals (HCPs) towards eHealth based (self-management) interventions in general and the Dutch MD intervention in specific. MethodsWe conducted a basic interpretive, cross-sectional qualitative study comprising semi-structured interviews with 11 patients with CKD and 10 HCPs, and 2 focus group discussions with 9 patients with CKD. This study was conducted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University in China. Data collection continued until data saturation was reached. All data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a framework approach. ResultsThree themes emerged: (1) experience with eHealth in CKD (self-management), (2) needs for supporting CKD self-management with the use of eHealth, and (3) adaptation and implementation of the Dutch MD intervention in China. Both patients and HCPs had experience with and solely mentioned eHealth to ‘inform, monitor and track’ as potentially relevant interventions to support CKD self-management, not those to support ‘interaction’ and ‘data utilization’. Factors reported to influence the implementation of CKD eHealth self-management interventions included information barriers (i.e. quality and consistency of the disease-related information obtained via eHealth), perceived trustworthiness and safety of eHealth sources, clinical compatibility and complexity of eHealth, time constraints and eHealth literacy. Moreover, patients and HCPs expressed that eHealth interventions should support CKD self-management by improving the access to reliable and relevant disease related knowledge and optimizing the timeliness and quality of patient and HCPs interactions. Finally, suggestions to adaptation and implementation of the Dutch MD intervention in China were mainly related to improving the intervention functionalities and content of MD such as addressing the complexity of the platform and compatibility with HCPs’ workflows. ConclusionsThe identified perceptions, attitudes and needs towards eHealth self-management interventions in Chinese settings should be considered by researchers and intervention developers to adapt a tailored eHealth self-management intervention for patients with CKD in China. In more detail, future research needs to engage in co-creation processes with vulnerable groups during eHealth development and implementation, increase eHealth literacy and credibility of eHealth (information resource), ensure eHealth to be easy to use and well-integrated into HCPs’ workflows.

Use of quality-of-life-related (QoL) eHealth interventions with Latino cancer patients during the pandemic: Findings from Latin America, United States, and Spain.

e18542 Background: The use of ehealth digital interventions (DI) can have a great potential to improve adjustment of cancer patients and caregivers. However, limited information is available about use of ehealth with Spanish and Portuguese speaking cancer patients from US, Spain, and Latin America. This study sought to explore the use of ehealth or DI by mental health providers (MHP) with Spanish and Portuguese speaking cancer patients and to determine the impact of the national income levels (World Bank Classification) on the use of this technology. Methods: An online survey was conducted from March to July 2021, publicized through social media and an organization Listserv. MHP (psychologists, psychiatrists) who treated Latino or Hispanic cancer patients in Latin America, Spain and the US, were invited to participate. The survey obtained demographic and professional information, The survey included questions about the use of eight DI (mobile apps, internet videos, websites, virtual conferences, virtual support groups, text messages, social networks, and emails) during the pandemic. For the purposes of this analysis, we excluded telehealth. Results: Among the 114 MHP (97% psychology related) from 18 countries, 25% were from high income countries (HIC; US, Spain, Puerto Rico, Chile, and Uruguay), and 75% were from middle income countries (MIC; other Latin American countries predominantly Mexico, Argentina, Peru). They were all Hispanic/Latino and 82% females. The majority, 77% of MHP, reported using at least 1 of the 8 DIs with cancer patients, average of two DIs (M = 2.3, SD = 1.9). Half of the MHP use internet-based videos with patients, 44% websites, 37% mobile apps, 29% virtual conferences, 19% virtual support groups, 19% text messages, 18% social networks, and 11% emails. Apps were recommended to improve emotional well-being (55%), anxiety/stress (53%), sleep disturbance (37%), depression (20%), fatigue (17%), pain (16%), loneliness/social support (13%), communication problems (12%), and other physical symptoms (8%). Comparing the country's income level across the use of the 8 DIs, only the use of mobile apps (62% HIC vs. 28% MIC) and email support (24% HIC vs. 6% MIC) were found significant. Conclusions: Previous research (with predominantly North American and European samples) has found that DIs can help cancer patients with side effects, improving self-management and wellbeing. DIs were largely used by MHP to mitigate emotional and physical symptoms and to improve the QoL of Latino cancer patients and only MHP from MIC (compared to HIC) differed in their use of mobile apps and email support. These findings support the potential for DI to improve care, and symptom management in Latino cancer patients from Latin America, the US, and Spain.

The Rising Importance of e-Health in Norway.

Drawing on three central sources of data on the development in e-health use in Norway (studies from the Norwegian Centre for e-Health Research, studies from Statistics Norway, and the Tromsø 7 Study), we describe the rising importance of e-health. Originally restricted to a limited use within the health services, in recent years the use of e-health has gained momentum both in the general population and within the traditional health services, as the Internet has offered easy access to health information as well as a range of other health-related services.

Use of e-Health in Norwegian FACT Teams: A User Perspective.

Flexible assertive community treatment (FACT) is a model for delivering long-term, integrated and comprehensive treatment and follow-up for patients with severe mental illness. The objective of this study was to examine ICT challenges of Norwegian FACT teams. Doing observations in 3 teams and interviews with 5 teams we examined use of ICT systems, identifying challenges with the use of the electronic whiteboards, electronic health records, and team calendars. Better ICT systems and infrastructure are needed to support Norwegian FACT teams.

Using an E-Health Application for Post-operative Monitoring After Inguinal Hernia Repair: A Feasibility Study.

BackgroundE-Health care is already well established in some (non-) surgical specialties and is considered as a means of improving patient-centred care. Considering the demand of remote health care changes, especially in the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential to investigate the feasibility of e-Health care within one of the most performed surgery procedures: inguinal hernia repair.MethodsA total of 60 patients used the e-Health application in this study compliant. Primary objectives were to investigate the accuracy of the “deviating post-operative course” alerting by the e-Health application. Secondary objectives included patient perspective and e-Health costs analysis.ResultsForty-four patients reported no deviation in the post-operative course using the e-Health application of which 93.2% (n = 41) was in concordance with the findings during standard follow-up. Within 16 patients reporting a deviating post-operative course, a true complication was found in 25% (n = 4). Based on in-hospital costs, a hypothetical e-Health follow-up scenario was more expensive (€59.5 per patient) than current standard follow-up care (€28.2 per patient). Usage of the e-Health application showed a high perceived overall patient satisfaction: 4.2 (on a Likert-scale of 1–5).ConclusionAn e-Health application is a promising tool for identifying patients who require in-person or phone follow-up assessment. Patients’ perspectives surveys revealed high potential and willingness of using this application. A hypothetical e-Health follow-up scenario showed to be more expensive compared to current standard follow-up. If the identified (dis)advantages can be improved, e-Health follow-up care appears to be promising in terms of safety and feasibility. Future studies can leverage on this study and further investigate the use of e-Health within the field of general surgery.

"Get Used to the Fact That Some of the Care Is Really Going to Take Place in a Different Way": General Practitioners' Experiences with E-Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the introduction of the more extensive use of e-health in Dutch general practices. The objective of this study was to investigate the experiences of general practitioners (GPs) regarding this change. In addition, the necessary conditions for e-health technology to be of added value to general practices were explored. In April 2020, 30 GPs were recruited for in-depth interviews via a web survey which contained questions regarding the use of e-health during the first wave of the pandemic. While most GPs intend to keep using e-health applications more extensively than before the pandemic, the actual use of e-health depends on several factors, including the characteristics of the application’s users. The following conditions for successful and sustainable implementation of e-health were identified: (1) integration of e-health technology in the organization of GP care, (2) sufficient user-friendliness of applications as well as digital skills of professionals and patients, and (3) adequate technological and financial support of e-health services. GPs clearly recognize the benefits of using e-health, and most GPs intend to keep using e-health applications more extensively than before the pandemic. However, improvements are needed to allow widespread and sustainable adoption of e-health technology in general practices.

Privacy and Trust in eHealth: A Fuzzy Linguistic Solution for Calculating the Merit of Service.

The use of eHealth and healthcare services are becoming increasingly common across networks and ecosystems. Identifying the quality and health impact of these services is a big problem that in many cases it is difficult determine. Health ecosystems are seldom designed with privacy and trust in mind, and the service user has almost no way of knowing how much trust to place in the service provider and other stakeholders using his or her personal health information (PHI). In addition, the service user cannot rely on privacy laws, and the ecosystem is not a trustworthy system. This demonstrates that, in real life, the user does not have significant privacy. Therefore, before starting to use eHealth services and subsequently disclosing personal health information (PHI), the user would benefit from tools to measure the level of privacy and trust the ecosystem can offer. For this purpose, the authors developed a solution that enables the service user to calculate a Merit of Service (Fuzzy attractiveness rating (FAR)) for the service provider and for the network where PHI is processed. A conceptual model for an eHealth ecosystem was developed. With the help of heuristic methods and system and literature analysis, a novel proposal to identify trust and privacy attributes focused on eHealth was developed. The FAR value is a combination of the service network’s privacy and trust features, and the expected health impact of the service. The computational Fuzzy linguistic method was used to calculate the FAR. For user friendliness, the Fuzzy value of Merit was transformed into a linguistic Fuzzy label. Finally, an illustrative example of FAR calculation is presented.

Understanding undergraduate students' eHealth usage and views of the patient-provider relationship.

eHealth has grown exponentially alongside technology and has become widely accessed by some populations, but little is documented about how undergraduate students use eHealth or perceive their eHealth literacy. As access to online information and non-traditional options for interacting with providers has increased, patient views of the provider-patient relationship may also be changing. This study evaluates how frequently undergraduates use eHealth, how they perceive their ability to use eHealth appropriately, and how they view their patient-provider relationships. A mixed methods approach was used to address the research questions, with quantitative data from a survey and qualitative data from follow-up interviews of twelve of the survey respondents. The survey was distributed to over 650 undergraduate students in introductory biology laboratory courses for students of all fields of interest at one university. Based on 527 survey responses and 12 interviews, students reported commonly using eHealth but being skeptical of telehealth appointments. Although students generally felt capable of finding and interpreting eHealth sources, they were not strongly confident in their ability to do so. Use of eHealth was not seen as altering the patient-provider relationship, but students expressed a desire for their physician to act more as a counselor or advisor than a guardian. Students from minority populations were more likely to use eHealth in comparison to their peers. In addition, student comfort with their provider differed by race and ethnicity, as well as whether they shared the same gender identity as their provider. This research highlights how undergraduate students, who are often making medical decisions for themselves for the first time as adults, access health information and view the patient-provider relationship differently than the traditional guardian or paternalistic model. In addition, having diverse, culturally competent medical providers are critical for students to develop the relationship with their provider that they desire.

Prioritizing and Overcoming Barriers to e-Health Use among Elderly People: Implementation of the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP).

Rise in the aging population brings new challenges to modern societies. Old age is associated with several morbidities and usual issues related to health. Therefore, the provision of healthy and timely care has become the dire need to maintain their quality of life and wellbeing. The evolution of the e-health care system put pressure on societies to implement it successfully to ensure a safe and prompt provision of care services to the most vulnerable population successfully. Therefore, the provision and implementation of the e-health care system is a challenge for the health industry in terms of multi-objective decision-making. Multicriteria decision-making is a generalizable approach to making decisions with dependence and feedback and is known as an effective tool in decision-making processes, particularly in the healthcare sector. The present study aims to present an e-healthcare framework by identifying and prioritizing potential barriers towards the use of e-health by the elderly population. The analytical hierarchy process approach is adopted to calculate weights of identified potential barriers, respectively, and then rank them based on their degree of significance. The findings show that health and the ability-related barrier is ranked highest, followed by socio-environmental and attitudinal barriers. This research contributes to healthcare decision-making regarding e-health usage by implementing MCDA techniques. Our study will assist the public health practitioners and policymakers in drawing decisions on the best strategy to minimize the risks in using the e-healthcare system by the aging population, which significantly contributes to the smart healthcare system.

Attitudes of Patients with Chronic Diseases toward Management eHealth Applications Systems in Post-COVID-19 Times.

Introduction: There has been an increase in the adoption of eHealth technologies and applications by health consumers globally because of the restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the last two years. The sudden change in the users’ attitudes toward eHealth adoption needs to be critically evaluated and understood, as it can be the stepping stone toward rapid digitalization of healthcare operations in Saudi Arabia as a part of Vision 2030. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of the patients with chronic diseases toward eHealth applications in post-COVID times. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was adopted using the online questionnaire as a data collection instrument. All the health consumers using eHealth services aged above 18 years and living in Saudi Arabia were included in the survey. The survey was conducted for 3 weeks, resulting in a final sample of 234 participants. Results: Overall, 73.8% of the participants stated that they adopted eHealth only out of necessity, while 37.3% stated that they adopted it because no other services were available. Only 10.3% stated that they adopted eHealth out of interest. In relation to the future use of eHealth, 51.5% of the participants stated that they would definitely not use eHealth applications, and 33.6% stated that they would probably them once the pandemic ends. Only 4.4% of the participants stated that they would very much probably, and 10.5% stated they would probably not use eHealth applications once the pandemic ends. a significant difference in opinions in relation to the future adoption of eHealth applications was observed among the male and female participants, and also between the age groups of younger (age <35 years) and older (age ≥35 years) participants. Conclusions: For the change in attitudes (increased adoption of eHealth) to be sustained, policymakers need to develop relevant strategies promoting the use of eHealth in Saudi Arabia.

The Impact of e-Health for Cancer Patients

E-Health or Electronic Health is the use of information and communication technology including electronics, telecommunications, computers and informatics to process various types of medical information, to carry out clinical services (diagnose or therapy), administration and education. In E-health the distance factor is not an issue because all activities are carried out through a data connection and in real time. This study discusses the community's analysis of the use of e-Health. This study aims to analyze the impact and influence of convenience and benefit factors on cancer patients using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) method. The results of this study indicate that users show positive benefits when using e-health applications. The results of this study also show that e-health has these positive benefits for respondents so they want to continue to use e-health services. Users also get the ease of use which also affects the interest (behavioral intention) in using the E-Health application because the ease of use increases the effectiveness of users

Placing equity at the heart of eHealth implementation: a qualitative pilot study

BackgroundThere is a growing urgency to tackle issues of equity and justice in the implementation of eHealth technologies.MethodsQualitative interviews were conducted with 19 multidisciplinary health professionals to explore the implementation and uptake of eHealth technologies in practice. The aim of this article was to examine in more detail issues of equity and justice in the implementation and uptake of eHealth technologies in practice. Results were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six-step reflexive thematic analysis approach.ResultsNancy Fraser’s concept of social justice is introduced as a novel framework for inquiry into the implementation of digital health services. Health professionals reported that eHealth offered their clients a greater sense of safety, convenience, and flexibility, allowing them to determine the nature and pace of their healthcare, and giving them more control over their treatment and recovery. However, they also expressed concerns about the use of eHealth with clients whose home environment is unsafe. Application of Fraser’s framework revealed that eHealth technologies may not always provide a secure clinical space in which the voices of vulnerable clients can be recognised and heard. It also highlighted critical systemic and cultural barriers that hinder the representation of clients’ voices in the decision to use eHealth technologies and perpetuate inequalities in the distribution of eHealth services.ConclusionsTo facilitate broad participation, eHealth tools need to be adaptable to the needs and circumstances of diverse groups. Future implementation science efforts must also be directed at identifying and addressing the underlying structures that hinder equitable recognition, representation, and distribution in the implementation of eHealth resources.

Cyfryzacja ochrony zdrowia a konieczność wprowadzania nowych rozwiązań prawnych

The necessity of providing healthcare to citizens is one of the basic principles of every state, regulated by provisions of national, EU or international law and comple-mented by soft law. Civilisational changes and technological advancement make it possible to develop new healthcare tools and services (i.a. telemonitoring, telecon-sulting, telerehabilitation and electronic medical documentation). The COVID-19 pandemic greatly emphasised the need to provide such services. The wide use of e-health, however, which may be a remedy for numerous problems that the health-care sector is wrestling with, requires securing the rights of those who are not digitally included, especially the elderly. The prevalence of various degrees of digital exclusion, not only among the elderly, makes these issues socially significant and they should be solved by law. The purpose of the article is an initial analysis of the validity of developing e-health services in the ageing society in Poland and a presentation of proposals for adjusting legal solutions as regards the use of digital tools in healthcare to the changing reality.

From physician’s authority to patient expertise: the effects of e-health technology use on patient’s behavior and physician-patient relationship

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the health technology use in health information seeking, communication and personal health information management, as well as in the effects they may have on his relationship with the physician and on the consumption of medical resources.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was conducted. The questionnaires were distributed via online health discussion forums using Google's survey software with a summary presentation of the study’s objective. The final selection of 362 individuals was made using social media, direct email and collaboration with community groups. The empirical validation of the causal model was conducted using the partial least square approach.FindingsThe results show that the use of e-health strengthens the quality of the patient–physician relationship and patient empowerment while increasing the consumption of medical resources.Originality/valueThe results of this research indicate that the internet has transformed the relationship of patients to health, to their doctors and to the health-care system. In this new context, a reconsideration of the status of the patient must be considered by health service providers.