Exploring the Multifaceted Definitions of eHealth

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The article “eHealth” attempts to expand upon the conceptual framework proposed in article 1 by addressing the topic on a functional level. The author begins the discussion by providing the reader with a summary of the multiple definitions currently present in government, health and academia. The European Commission narrowly defines ehealth as the efficient use of technology in health care delivery (European Commission, 2003). The World Health Organization (WHO) defines ehealth as the cost effective and secure use of technology to advance health care, health education and research (WHO, 2005). The third and most inclusive definition was provided by The Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR); which defined ehealth as,
...an emerging field …show more content…

The well known ehealth sub-domains include mobile health (mHealth), telemedicine, electronic health records (EHR/EMR) and big data systems (Nuviun, 2015). Mobile health tools (mHealth) are health applications designed to utilize the functionality of mobile devices to provide the user with portable diagnostic and medical advice. Telemedicine involves the delivery of health services virtually via internet. The user teleconferences with a trained health professional using a web camera, communication device and software. Electronic health records (EHR/EMR) are the virtualization of patient medical records for the purposes of quick access, easy storage and timely dissemination. Big data systems are databases used to gather, store and data mine large volumes of patient information to find relevant patterns that could be used to enhance patient outcomes. In regards to market trends, the ehealth market is expected to grow from $96 billion in 2010 to $160 billion in 2015 representing an average growth rate of 12-16 percent (Nuviun, 2015). The factors facilitating the growth of the ehealth market include the decreasing cost in relevant technologies, increasing public participation, the aging population in developed countries and the continued rise in health care costs (Nuviun, 2015). The inhibitory factors include regulatory barriers involving privacy and security, interoperability issues, continued resistance from health professional and the high maintenance costs (Nuviun,

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