Changing nature of best practices in eHealth

Abstract

Best practices have been used in the health care sector for a long time. These practices that aim for delivering high quality care are commonly associated with clinical use by health care professionals. However, over time these practices have found their way to adjacent spheres of operation outside clinical practice (such as, nutrition, rehabilitation, etc.). Computerization of these practices and introducing them to the field of Electronic Health Care (eHealth) as an integral part of intelligent systems, such as Decision Support Systems (DSSs) is not a trivial or a straightforward matter. In the health care setting, issues such as clinical freedom, ethics, legislation and even the 'allencompassing' nature of the work (i.e. providing care) creates unique challenges that need addressing prior to introducing computerized practices into the health care processes. Another aspect of consequence that has recently risen is the consumer-centricity or consumerism that changes the balance between the health care professionals and the patients in terms of decision making. This article looks into this shift and on its artifacts; the Patient Decision Support Systems (PDSSs). In the light of these, the primary question is: what kind of impact these artifacts potentially have on the patient's decision making. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.