E-healthservices and devices: Availability, merits, and barriers - with some examples from Finland

Abstract

Empowering individuals through e-health can be considered as the current trend in developing healthcare services and devices. The aim of this article is to shed light on availability, benefits, and limitations of using these services and devices in people’s everyday life. This study is a descriptive review based on a non-exhaustive selection of previous studies that define information exchange, information formats, opportunities, and restrictions of e-health technologies. The main focus of this study is on presenting available e-health services and devices while describing their benefits and limitations. This approach has the potential to provide new insights into the future development and integration of e-health into the healthcare system of a country. The idea behind this review is to provide a better understanding of e-health services for authorities, healthcare professionals, individuals, and related beneficiaries.