E-health

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• Why is e-health important? To address challenges like aging populations, chronic disease management, and the need for sustainable healthcare strategies.
• What is the age dependency ratio? The ratio between people aged 65 or above (retirement age) and people of working age.
• What is the current and future age dependency ratio? Current: 4 workers for every 1 pensioner. Future: 2 workers for every 1 pensioner (unsustainable).
• What is the GDP? Gross Domestic Product (PIL in Italian).
• Definition of chronic disease: A long-lasting health condition, typically lasting more than three months, often with a slow onset and long course.
• What are the most diffused chronic diseases? Hypertension, High cholesterol, Arthrosis, Ischemic disease, Diabetes, Chronic kidney disease, Heart failure, Mental health issues, Alzheimer’s and dementia
• Why is hypertension significant? It affects 58% of people older than 65, can cause strokes, and leads to critical conditions if not fatal.
• What is the current cost of chronic diseases in Italy? Expected to rise
• What is patient-centered care (PCC)? A healthcare approach that empowers patients to self-manage their conditions and make shared decisions with doctors.
• What are the key aspects of PCC? Patient empowerment, Shared decision-making, Coaching
• Why is territorial or home-based healthcare important? It provides solutions like remote monitoring, telemedicine, and digital tools to manage patients at home, reserving hospitals for acute cases.
• What does coaching in PCC mean? A balanced doctor-patient relationship where decisions are collaborative rather than doctor-dominated.
• What is the definition of e-health? E-health is an emerging field at the intersection of medical informatics, public health, and business, referring to health services and information delivered or enhanced through the Internet and related technologies.
• What does e-health combine? E-health combines information transfer and internet communication to create a health service.
• What is the broader perspective of e-health? E-health is not only a technical development but a state of mind, emphasizing global, networked thinking to improve healthcare using ICT.
• How is e-health used in the scientific community? E-health describes mobile applications and internet use by patients and citizens.
• What is the WHO definition of e-health? The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for health.
• What are the keywords associated with the "e-" in e-health? Efficiency, Enhancing Quality of Care, Evidence-Based, Empowerment of Consumers and Patients, Encouragement, Education, Enabling Information Exchange, Extending Conceptually and Geographically.
• What is digital health? A broader term encompassing e-health and emerging areas like big data, genomics, and artificial intelligence.
• Are e-health and digital health synonymous? Yes, they are used interchangeably.
• What was the main problem with e-health before COVID-19? The focus was more on the "e-" (technology) than the "health" or user needs.
• What issues arise from poorly implemented IT in healthcare? IT in healthcare often ignores human processes, cognitive processes, and the advantages of computers.
• What is a problem-oriented medical record? A record system grouping information by the patient’s problem rather than chronologically or by source.
• What is the Hype Cycle Curve? A model representing the adoption and maturity of technologies in five phases:
• What is Efficiency in e-health? Reducing costs by avoiding duplicative or unnecessary diagnostic or therapeutic interventions, enhancing communication between healthcare providers, and increasing patient involvement.
• What is Enhancing Quality of Care in e-health? Improving care through comparisons between providers, empowering consumers for quality assurance, and directing patients to the best-quality services.
• What is Evidence-Based in e-health? Ensuring that e-health interventions are proven effective and efficient through rigorous scientific evaluation.
• What is Empowerment of Consumers and Patients in e-health? Giving patients access to medical knowledge and electronic health records, enabling a more patient-centered approach to medicine.
• What is Encouragement in e-health? Promoting a partnership between patients and healthcare professionals to make shared decisions.
• What is Education in e-health? Providing online resources for physicians and consumers, including continuing medical education and tailored preventive health information.
• What is Enabling Information Exchange in e-health? Standardizing communication between healthcare stakeholders to share critical information efficiently.
• What is Extending Conceptually and Geographically in e-health? Expanding the reach of healthcare services through online platforms and global providers.
• What is Innovation Trigger in the Hype Cycle Curve? New ideas or potential technologies, such as immersive technologies for care delivery.
• What is the Peak of Inflated Expectations in the Hype Cycle Curve? Overhyped claims by marketing, such as those for artificial intelligence in healthcare.
• What is the Trough of Disillusionment in the Hype Cycle Curve? The phase where users realize the technology's limitations; many technologies fail here.
• What is the Slope of Enlightenment in the Hype Cycle Curve? The phase where surviving technologies are recognized for their benefits.
• What is the Plateau of Productivity in the Hype Cycle Curve? The phase where technologies become mainstream and essential.

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