The Impact of eHealth and mHealth on doctor behavior and patient involvement: An Israeli and Portuguese comparative approach

Gabriel Catan*, Rita Espanha, Rita Veloso Mendes, Orly Toren, David Chinitz

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Based on the experience of a Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) promoted by COST Net and developed in CIES/ISCTE-IUL (Portugal), this paper presents a reflection about the implementation of Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) in the healthcare sector in Israel and Portugal. Specifically, we focus on the impacts of ICT or eHealth on patient empowerment, as perceived by doctors and managers in order to better comprehend the role of national policy and explore the options for building a national strategy regarding ICT in healthcare. The experience of the Portuguese healthcare system was selected and compared to the results found in a similar research in Israel. Methodologically, in-depth interviews with the Ministry of Health, the private sector, patients associations and researches were used to collect data. Purposeful sampling was used to select respondents, and secondary sources were used for triangulation. The findings of the research work show that the increased deployment of ICT has furthered patient empowerment (1). From the doctors perspective, while ICT has provided more information in the long-run, changes of these magnitudes were not easy in the beginning. These findings were similar in both countries. The work concludes that ICT tools were successfully implemented and the general perception is that they have been beneficial. The work provides information in order to understand and improve ICT services. Additionally, the results suggest alternatives for future investments in these technologies.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationDigital Healthcare Empowering Europeans - Proceedings of MIE 2015
EditorsRonald Cornet, Lacramioara Stoicu-Tivadar, Ronald Cornet, Carlos Luis Parra Calderon, Stig Kjaer Andersen, Alexander Horbst, Mira Hercigonja-Szekeres
PublisherIOS Press
Pages813-817
Number of pages5
ISBN (Electronic)9781614995111
DOIs
StatePublished - 2015
Externally publishedYes
Event26th Medical Informatics in Europe Conference, MIE 2015 - Madrid, Spain
Duration: 27 May 201529 May 2015

Publication series

NameStudies in Health Technology and Informatics
Volume210
ISSN (Print)0926-9630
ISSN (Electronic)1879-8365

Conference

Conference26th Medical Informatics in Europe Conference, MIE 2015
Country/TerritorySpain
CityMadrid
Period27/05/1529/05/15

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 European Federation for Medical Informatics (EFMI).

Keywords

  • eHealth
  • Empowerment
  • National Health Policies
  • Qualitative Research

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Impact of eHealth and mHealth on doctor behavior and patient involvement: An Israeli and Portuguese comparative approach'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this