Understanding the implementation and integration of e-health services

Abstract

We are conducting a multicentre, mixed methods study to examine the attitudes of health professionals to e-health in order to identify strategies to support increased uptake and utilization of e-health services. The first part of the work is a systematic literature review. After searching five electronic databases, a total of 66 review papers were identified which concerned barriers and facilitators to the implementation of e-health. Examination of the main themes from these reviews identified three major types of barriers/facilitators: (1) technology design factors, (2) health professional interactions, and (3) organizational factors. The utilization of e-health technologies by health-care professionals is complex, as demonstrated by the preliminary findings of the literature review.