⚡ Quick Summary
This article explores the evolution of the e-patient phenomenon, highlighting how advancements in digital technologies have empowered patients through enhanced communication and access to health information. The integration of artificial intelligence and telehealth has further transformed patient engagement, leading to a more responsive healthcare system.
🔍 Key Details
- 📅 Timeline: Evolution from early web health resources to AI-driven tools.
- 📱 Technologies: Electronic health records, patient portals, telehealth, and mobile health apps.
- 🌐 Social Media: Increased use for health information sharing, especially during COVID-19.
- 🤖 AI Potential: Large language models for patient education and understanding.
🔑 Key Takeaways
- 💡 E-patients are now equipped, enabled, empowered, and engaged in their healthcare.
- 📊 Digital tools have significantly improved patient-provider communication.
- 🏥 Telehealth has become a vital component of healthcare delivery.
- 🌍 Social networks have expanded their role in public health communication.
- 🔍 AI and machine learning hold untapped potential for enhancing patient understanding.
- 🤝 Collaboration between patients and clinicians is now more effective than ever.
- 📈 Health data exchange is crucial for personalized patient care.
- 🔗 Innovations in digital health are reshaping the healthcare landscape.
📚 Background
The rise of the e-patient represents a significant shift in healthcare dynamics, where patients are no longer passive recipients of care but active participants. This transformation has been fueled by the rapid advancement of digital technologies, which have provided patients with tools to manage their health more effectively. From the early days of health websites to the current capabilities of AI, the journey has been remarkable.
🗒️ Study
The authors, Sands and Finn, conducted a comprehensive review of the evolution of digital technologies in healthcare, focusing on how these innovations have empowered patients. They examined the transition from basic internet resources to sophisticated AI applications, emphasizing the role of electronic health records and telehealth in enhancing patient engagement and care delivery.
📈 Results
The study highlights that the integration of digital technologies has led to improved communication and collaboration between patients and healthcare providers. The emergence of AI tools has the potential to further enhance patient understanding of their health conditions and treatment options, paving the way for a more informed patient population.
🌍 Impact and Implications
The implications of this study are profound. As digital health technologies continue to evolve, they promise to create a healthcare system that is not only safer but also more responsive to the needs of patients. The ability for patients to access their health data and communicate effectively with providers can lead to better health outcomes and a more personalized approach to care.
🔮 Conclusion
The evolution of digital technologies in healthcare has significantly shaped the role of the e-patient, fostering a more collaborative and informed healthcare environment. As we look to the future, the integration of AI and other digital tools will likely continue to enhance patient engagement and improve health outcomes. Ongoing research and innovation in this field are essential for realizing the full potential of these advancements.
💬 Your comments
What are your thoughts on the evolution of the e-patient and the role of digital technologies in healthcare? We would love to hear your insights! 💬 Share your comments below or connect with us on social media:
From Internet to Artificial Intelligence (Al) Bots: Symbiotic Evolutions of Digital Technologies and e-Patients.
Abstract
This paper will view the rise of the e-patient, who is “equipped, enabled, empowered, and engaged” through the lens of the evolution of successive digital technology innovations, each building on its predecessors, creating new tools for patient empowerment. We begin with the dawn of the web and the proliferation of health websites and discuss the use of digital communication tools. We then discuss the adoption of electronic health records, which enabled the rise of patient portals. This digitization of health data, along with the rapid adoption of mobile internet access and the proliferation of health-related smartphone apps, in turn, provided a platform for patients to coproduce health care by contributing their own health data to their self-care and health care. The exchange of health information between patients and providers has also been facilitated by telehealth or telemedicine technology, which enables direct care delivery. The use of social networks in health, in use since the early days of the web, has expanded since COVID-19, when public health authorities worldwide, as well as patients, sought the use of social media channels to get connected and share information. Most recently, artificial intelligence and large language models have emerged with yet untapped potential to provide patients with the information that could improve their understanding of their conditions and treatment options. We conclude that innovations in digital health technology have symbiotically evolved with the ascendance of the e-patient, enabling improved communication, collaboration, and coordination between patients and clinicians and forging a health care system that is safer and more responsive to patient needs.
Author: [‘Sands DZ’, ‘Finn NB’]
Journal: J Particip Med
Citation: Sands DZ and Finn NB. From Internet to Artificial Intelligence (Al) Bots: Symbiotic Evolutions of Digital Technologies and e-Patients. From Internet to Artificial Intelligence (Al) Bots: Symbiotic Evolutions of Digital Technologies and e-Patients. 2025; 17:e68911. doi: 10.2196/68911