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 language | English |
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Title of host publication | Digital Healthcare Empowering Europeans - Proceedings of MIE 2015 |
Editors | Ronald Cornet, Lacramioara Stoicu-Tivadar, Ronald Cornet, Carlos Luis Parra Calderon, Stig Kjaer Andersen, Alexander Horbst, Mira Hercigonja-Szekeres |
Publisher | IOS Press |
Pages | 813-817 |
Number of pages | 5 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781614995111 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2015 |
Externally published | Yes |
Event | 26th Medical Informatics in Europe Conference, MIE 2015 - Madrid, Spain Duration: 27 May 2015 → 29 May 2015 |
Publication series
Name | Studies in Health Technology and Informatics |
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Volume | 210 |
ISSN (Print) | 0926-9630 |
ISSN (Electronic) | 1879-8365 |
Conference
Conference | 26th Medical Informatics in Europe Conference, MIE 2015 |
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Country/Territory | Spain |
City | Madrid |
Period | 27/05/15 → 29/05/15 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2015 European Federation for Medical Informatics (EFMI).
Keywords
- eHealth
- Empowerment
- National Health Policies
- Qualitative Research