Healthc Inform Res.  2020 Apr;26(2):119-128. 10.4258/hir.2020.26.2.119.

Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Definitions of e-Health and m-Health

• Hallberg D
• Salimi N

• KMID: 2501337
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4258/hir.2020.26.2.119

Abstract

Skills to employ nursing informatics to promote the health of individuals is of such importance that it is considered a core competence. Although investments are made to increase the use of e-health, there is no full understanding of the usability of e-health for healthcare. This paper presents a current picture of how e-health and m-health are defined and used as well as the effects their usage may have on the intended target group.

Peer-reviewed open-access papers and grey literature that define e-health and m-health from PubMed, SpringerLink, and Google.com were randomized. A mixed method design with an inductive approach was employed. Open-source software were used for analysis.

The overview includes 30 definitions of e-health and m-health, respectively. The definitions were thematised into 14 narrative themes. The results of the study, and primarily a three-level model, provide an understanding of how different types of e-health and m-health can be put into practice, and the effects or consequences of using them, which may be either positive or negative.

Mobility and flexibility is important for both m-health and e-health. Five keywords that characterize the definitions of e-health and m-health are “health”, “mobile”, “use”, “information”, and “technology”. E-health or m-health cannot replace human actors because e-health and m-health consist of social and material interactions. Using e-health and m-health is, thus, about developing healthcare without compromising native relics.

Keyword

Data Mining; Meaningful Use; Health Information Exchange; Health Information Systems; Terminology as Topic

Figure

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  Figure 1 Flow diagram for the search process.

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  Figure 2 Themes and frequency in definitions.

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  Figure 3 Dendrogram: cluster and distance between terms.

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  Figure 4 Frequency of the terms in the definitions.

Reference

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