China 
Africa 
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Health Sector at the Crossroads
Published in Ahmed Elngar, Ambika Pawar, Prathamesh Churi, Data Protection and Privacy in Healthcare, 2021
Arindam Chakrabarty, Uday Sankar Das, Saket Kushwaha
Health informatics has been on the frontiers of healthcare systems ever since the inception of information systems. The application of information technology in public health is referred to as public health informatics which is crucial for achieving significant health improvement [65]. This new domain of information systems presents both renewed opportunities and challenges to make a key transformation in public health services [66]. Health information systems have expanded and there is an attempt to reach the consumers; this branch of medical informatics is popularly known as consumer health informatics. This essentially sits at the crossroads of other disciplines like public health, health promotion, health education library sciences, communication sciences and nursing informatics [67]. This is a period of the unprecedented public will and the ability to access information has resulted in an era of the promulgation of evidence-oriented consumer healthcare [68]. There is a growing number of consumers seeking their health information to make an informed decision; they seek this information from various sources. Consumer health informatics applications face a challenge to meet the consumer needs and support the collaboration between providers and patients [69].
Qualitative investigation of the role of quality in online community support for people living with HIV and AIDS
Published in Quality Management Journal, 2018
Guruprasad Gadgil, Gayle Prybutok, Victor Prybutok
The healthcare industry includes a growing trend in applying online consumer health informatics (CHI) applications to deliver relevant health information to targeted populations, and to facilitate information exchange within such groups (Cleveland and Cleveland 2009). Since health behavior is a function of culture (Obregon 2000), it is possible to reach a population subgroup by understanding their unique culture and communicating with the members of that subset based on characteristics those members share (Kreuter and Wray 2003). Prior studies indicate that traditional print and interpersonal methods of health communication are still valid and provide relevant and useful health information to a significant segment of the general population (Prybutok, Koh, and Prybutok 2014). However, these methods are not as effective in managing and influencing risky health behaviors or communicating preventive measures for younger audiences or stigmatized groups (Prybutok, Koh, and Prybutok 2014). Griffiths, Lindenmeyer, and Powell (2006) analyzed 38 interventions and reported the factors that explain why health interventions have progressed to online delivery. Advanced development in graphical user interfaces and related technologies have made technology user-friendly, affordable for both healthcare providers and patients to deploy and implement, reducing the cost for both. P2P health is a growing online health-related behavior of people who have capitalized on the development of Web 2.0 technologies or interactive technologies that facilitate real-time communication between people (Tennant et al. 2015). These techniques allow people to share their experiences, concerns, and treatment plans with trusted peers (Fox 2011; 2013). Face-to-face HIV/AIDS support groups offer unique challenges to participants.