Modern Management Review (Dec 2018)
E-HEALTH AS A TOOL FOR STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF A PATIENT IN THE PROCESS OF PROVIDING HEALTH SERVICES
Abstract
The development of information and communication technologies has contributed to the emergence of e-health, the sphere of digital activity, related to support for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and health management. The patient's involvement in the process of providing health services becomes an important factor conditioning the effectiveness of treatment. A particularly important role of e-health tools is the creation of opportunities to involve patients in the treatment process, increasing their knowledge, personalising and individualising medical care to obtain, strengthening their role in the decision-making process, which on the whole enhances the position of patients. The range of health-enhancing activities that can be carried out using e-health tools is wide and includes the transfer of information, its collection, analysis, processing to support decision-making processes, health education, and furthermore, training of medical personnel and management with administrative aspects. The purpose of the article is to try to identify the possibilities of supporting the process of providing health services through the use of e-health tools. The article consists of three main parts. The first part describes the role of the patient in the process of providing services, including such concepts as subject patient empowerment, patient-centred medicine and personalised medicine. Next, the characterization of the essence and forms of e-health was made. The last part consists of an attempt to identify conditions, possibilities, areas of information application and communication technologies in the health care system. The final conclusions address the challenges faced by health systems and their participants to ensure the effective use of e-health tools in shaping the relationship between patients and healthcare professionals.
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