Communicating in an e-health environment

This chapter explores the development and application of e-health strategies and the way in which they contribute to effective health communication and improved health outcomes. E-health aims to improve the safety and quality of health care by increasing access to services through telehealth and electronic consultations, enabling the collection and sharing of better quality information and resources, and empowering people to better manage their own health. It is envisioned that such strategies will also increase efficiency; reducing fragmentation and delay and reducing healthcare costs (Hillestad et al., 2005). It is the responsibility of health professionals to become competent e-health practitioners. This means they need to develop familiarity with the e-health systems that support their practice and communicate effectively within them. Health professionals must know how to contribute to electronic clinical information and resources; use electronic information to inform clinical decisions; access information and professional development e-learning programs; and support the participation of consumers.