Information and Health
In contemporary societies, the importance of communications and, in particular, information and communication technologies (ICT), is increasingly seen as a central element in economic and social development. The field of healthcare is no exception. Information and communication technologies (ICT) are playing an increasingly important role in healthcare systems because of the potential benefits they can bring to citizens, professionals and service providers by promoting safer, more accessible and more efficient healthcare relationships.
The noticeable growth in the use of ICT by citizens to research health-related issues is now evident. Healthcare has also benefited from constant technological developments and innovations in the life sciences and health in general, particularly in the medical sciences. But the growing introduction of ICT in health systems brings new challenges for health institutions and their professionals, as a result of the new skills it requires and the additional financial investment it requires.
This study, by sociologist Rita Espanha, seeks to analyse these advantages and challenges, through a survey, as systematic as possible, of available national and international information, contextualised, on the subject in question, focusing on topics such as:
- Electronic prescription of medicines
- Making the process virtual
- Telemedicine
- Interoperability of systems
- The availability of public health information
- The threats posed by the decentralised circulation of information to the protection of individual rights and the privacy and intimacy of citizens at all levels of healthcare provision.
Through this study, Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos seeks to help establish a consistent basis for systematic, action-oriented research into the importance and means of development in health information and communication in the context of contemporary Portuguese society, identifying the main trends and challenges that will enable the construction of a strategic agenda in the area of health information.
