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Consumer health informatics is a relatively new discipline and has been defined by Eyesnbach as:
Consumer health informatics is the branch of medical informatics that analyses consumers needs for information; studies and implements methods of making information accessible to consumers; and models and integrates consumers preferences into medical information systems.
Consumer health informatics thus provides patients in their role as consumer of healthy information with the tools, skills and support they need to better manage their health decisions. There are a variety of sources for health information with the patients being the biggest resource. The explanations of their problems, along with tests and procedures that are carried out, represent the greatest portion of information processed in healthcare.
Healthcare providers with this wealth of information are turning to consumer health informatics to provide patients with not only health advice brought about by the analysis of the information but with an opportunity to manage certain aspects of the being the source of information by building their own patient records.
This can be done using methods ranging from using pen and paper through using the telephone to acquire information to the using of software on a patients personal computer that allows them to manage their records and observations through a private website.
References
- Eysenbach G. Recent Advances: Consumer Health Informatics. BMJ 2000; 320: 171316
- National Library of Medicine.; National Institutes of Health. [WWW] 3RD July 2003. Consumer Health Informatics Research. http://lhncbc.nlm.nih.gov/cgsb/research/chr/ (30TH July 2003).
- Simpson, Louise.; Robinson, Paul.; e-Clinical Governance. Radcliffe Medical Press (Oxford). 2002.
External links
- Biohealthmatics.com (http://www.biohealthmatics.com/healthinformatics/publichealth_informatics/comhealthinfo.aspx/)
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