Title: Consumer health informatics and interactive visual learning tools for health

Authors: Kleopatra Alamantariotou, Dimitra Zisi

Addresses: University Hospital of Larissa, P.O. Box 1425, Mezourlo, 41110 Larisa, Greece. ' University Hospital of Helenas, 2 Helena Venizelou Square 115 21 Athens, Greece

Abstract: Consumer health informatics is a part of medical informatics that has as first priority to analyse the interaction between Information Technology (IT) and health consumers. Consumer health informatics applications are designed to interact directly with the customer with or without the essential presence of healthcare. This field of virtual informatics tended to be developed by people other than clinical professions. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief overview of best practices and methods for customers| health information and to describe the best interactive visual learning tools for health education. Consumer health informatics is an interdisciplinary field much as other informatics fields. Some disciplines that may find consumer health informatics valuable include public health, nursing, health education and communication sciences. It is important that organisations such as medical universities and governmental agencies to provide trustworthy high-quality health information on internet and work harder and create practical health education tools.

Keywords: consumer health informatics; e-health; interactive learning tools; visual learning tools; electronic healthcare; medical informatics; ICT; healthcare technology; virtual informatics; health education.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEH.2010.036211

International Journal of Electronic Healthcare, 2010 Vol.5 No.4, pp.414 - 424

Published online: 29 Oct 2010 *

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