Digital Health: connected patient empowerment

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to propose a comprehensive framework for understanding the contribution of the Internet in the healthcare sector focusing on the patient. Now, the Internet is transforming traditional ways of acquiring knowledge on healthcare information, connected patients are better informed and more involved in their care. Patient empowerment is driven by health care information access and derived from web services use in health management. A review of the litterature summarizes views of the empowerment concept, first from consumer litterature, and then, from healthcare field. Two complementary qualitative approaches reveal the dimensions of the connected patient’s power and brings out benefits and risks derived from patient’s empowerment.