Power of eHealth Solutions for a Sustainable Ecosystem - Paper Sample

Introduction

eHealth solutions are considered for making a sustainable healthcare ecosystem. eHealth applications can be used for the provision and exchange of medical information at the physician, patient or state level as well as to improve the management structure of the Healthcare ecosystem.

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Treatment of the disease is easier if the literacy scale of the subjected patient is significant. With that, therapy optimization is notably more practical for the patient that has a satisfactory response towards technology and skill of decision making. Recent advancements in technology persuade patients’ decision making through various motivational applications/assistive technological devices or virtual coaching that can mould or change the decision-making of a particular patient. Many variables can limit a person's ability to be analytical in decision making, and that ability can be analyzed by perceiving the encircling environment. A considerable amount of information sources is web-based that anyone can access by the use of the internet. eHealth literacy can also help to compare two sources of information and its reliability, especially in a big or complex society.

Analytical Training

People with a low level of eHealth literacy can exaggerate the disease condition if they don't know how to wisely use an application/assistive technology or access the information. eHealth application can provide preventive measures to prohibit a condition, diet plans, medication adherence, daily motivation lessons, daily goals or plan-making, about sleep cycle, physical activity, obesity and vital signs. Some applications give information about toxicity management if a person inhales or consumes a substance which is not good for the body. These eHealth applications are the immediate services before access to an actual medical practitioner. eHealth literacy is a broader term and gives a person hints to understand his conditions as some problems are not easy to identify so a person can itself verify many facts. It can also provide a vision for the assistive technology-based business models. Young people are more active in the usage of eHealth applications with better understanding and decision making. Different diseases can also hinder the ability to understand and investigate, for example, people with cognitive impairment, having Schizophrenia or mental illness.

Analytical training is required for ICT application deployment and proper usage. There are many obstacles which are responsible for rationalization and adaptation of a technological solution, i.e., unavailability of analytical tools or applications, many legal and political barriers, technological barriers, confidence, trust, culture variance and awareness between patient and physician.

The Need for an Analytical Mindset

eHealth literacy is an essential skill set, especially in the present digital era to leverage health information available online to improve health outcomes.

The core skills/analytics are like traditional health information, scientific media and computer literacy, and after that its analysis and use for acquiring the confidence to adopt/follow the particular eHealth device/care therapy. eHealth refers to help of electronic resources for the development of the health care system, and it will be productive only if people will understand about their applications, like how, when and why to employ these resources/devices/services, what are their specifications and what variety of skills are needed to use them. When it comes to consumer-directed eHealth, it requires the ability to try to find, integrate and apply what is needed in electronic environments for solving a health problem.

For calculating the eHealth literacy of a population, various iterations are made in "literacy scales". These scales calculate understanding of a population about eHealth and its products. Within a clinical environment, eHealth literacy has the potential to serve as a mechanism of identifying the real customer who can benefit from eHealth applications. Norman and Skinner in 2006 developed an 8-item self-report eHealth literacy scale to measure eHealth skills, i.e. " eHealth Literacy Scale" (eHEALS). In eHEALS, the first subscale covered self-perceived competence in obtaining health information online, and the second subscale is the information appraisal of health data on the internet. Further research is needed to examine the applicability of the eHEALS to different populations and setting areas while exploring the relationship between eHealth literacy and health care outcomes.

eHEALS consistently captures the eHealth literacy concept in repeated administrations, showing a promising tool for evaluating consumer comfort and skill in using information technology for health. The objective of the study eHealth literacy scale was to psychometrically evaluate the properties of the eHEALS within a population context.

The use of eHealth services/devices in the healthcare ecosystem means to support selfcare, facilitate the use of healthcare services, make caretakers and professionals more available and compensate for the daily living activities for people living with chronic illnesses. Hospitals and healthcare centres are often not the primary settings for care, as people with chronic illnesses are usually discharged from hospitals earlier and are less well than previously reported; thereby, they are often in need of support and care in their own home. Chronic illness sustains for a lifetime. Different healthcare facilities need eHealth services in the form of technical solutions/devices to give patients the best care (WHO,2011). Health information accessibility, such as electronic patient records, became more readily accessible to both patients and healthcare persons. Health systems usually operate as if all patients have health literacy skills and can be advocates for themselves. It neglects many other aspects that will be discussed in the latter part of the paper. However, a wide gap often separates what providers intend to convey in written and oral communication/ eHealth applications and what patients understand. Moreover, as our world population becomes more diverse concerning age, culture, and language, that gap threatens to widen and intensify health disparities. The eHealth systems demand patients handle and perform several levels of abilities like providing the consent, recognition and implementing the obtained learning to numerous situations of life and With that communicating with the health care specialists. The patient has to prove that he can achieve vital levels of health education.

Many eHealth technologies like assistive devices are not thriving in the realization of sustainable innovations in health care practices. One of the reasons for this is the current development of eHealth technology usually ignores the interdependencies between technology, human characteristics, and the socio-economic environment and ending in a technology application/device that has a flat influence in health care practices. Introducing eHealth technologies into the health care system expects careful coordination and communication between healthcare professionals, patients, informal caregivers, end-users, and others. To prove the outcomes of eHealth technologies soundly, a new way of thinking is needed about how technology can be used to innovate health care. It also requires new concepts and tools to develop and execute eHealth technologies in practice.

To overcome all those obstacles that come among eHealth configuration and implementation, a new method is required for the improvement of eHealth technologies that have limited impact on the complexity of the healthcare ecosystem, individual patient practices and relevant stakeholders.

Cultural Influence/ Variance and eHealth Technology Adaptation

Cultural boundaries are a major cause of discrepant views of reality. eHealth applications/devices must use approaches that acknowledge and account for the views and values of the individual related to different cultures, not only in defining the nature of a patient's problems but also in explaining solutions.

Technological experts should be motivated for the particular care of the patients that must be culturally very responsive. Because the provider's ascendancy can serve to impede rather than improve communications between consultant and patient. Inability to recognize the issue as mentioned above can limit the practitioner's potential to analyze the patient's views and role in the illness process. If the problem-oriented methodology is used suitably, one has to account for the patient's perspective and formulate a care strategy that accounts for the multifaceted interactions between medical, social, psychiatric, and different population issues.

Conclusion

Although culture and language are vital blocks to obtaining suitable eHealth services, however, some additional factors cannot be parted like socio-economic situation, and geographical orientation perilous issues must be taken into account when planning for technologically enabled rural/remote health care service.