The future sustainability of health systems will depend on how well governments are able to anticipate and respond to efficiency and quality of care challenges. Bold action is required, as well as a willingness to test innovative approaches to care delivery.
This book posits that the greatest promise for transformational change is in applications that encourage new, ubiquitous, participatory preventive, and personalized smart models of care. It examines the potential of the Internet and mobile devices, services, and applications to support self-management, behavioral modification, and participatory healthcare.
A key hurdle, the book argues, is dealing with the exponentially accelerating accumulation of patient data, which must be mined, stored securely and accurately, and converted to meaningful information at the point of care. In order to fully exploit the new smart approaches to care, acceptance, privacy, and usability issues will have to be carefully considered.
