Article Abstract

	Title:	A framework for assessing e-health preparedness
	Author:	Nilmini S. Wickramasinghe, Adam M.A. Fadlalla, Elie Geisler, Jonathan L. Schaffer
	Address:	Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH 44114, USA. ' Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH 44114, USA. ' Illinois Institute of Technology, 565 W Adams Street, M/C 294, Chicago, IL 60607, USA. ' The Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Desk A41 Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
	Journal:	International Journal of Electronic Healthcare 2005 - Vol. 1, No.3  pp. 316 - 334
	Abstract:	Whilst healthcare is the biggest service industry on the globe, it has yet to realise the full potential of the e-business revolution in the form of e-health. This is due to many reasons including the fact that the healthcare industry is faced with many complex challenges in trying to deliver cost-effective, high-value, accessible healthcare and has traditionally been slow to embrace new business techniques and technologies. Given that e-health, to a great extent, is a macro level concern that has far reaching micro level implications, this paper firstly develops a framework to assess a country's preparedness with respect to embracing e-health (the application of e-commerce to healthcare) and from this an e-health preparedness grid to facilitate the assessment of any e-health initiative. Taken together, the integrative framework and preparedness grid provide useful and necessary tools to enable successful e-health initiatives to ensue by helping country and/or an organisation within a country to identify and thus address areas that require further attention in order for it to undertake a successful e-health initiative.
	Keywords:	e-health; evidence-based medicine; framework; electronic healthcare; e-healthcare; infrastructure; telemedicine; preparedness.
	DOI:	10.1504/IJEH.2005.006478
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