Using electronic media

Introduction 

We only have to look back a few years; to remember a time when the consumer had to visit a library or information service to access health information. As technology has advanced, the reverse is now true and information is being delivered directly to people. There is no doubt that access to health information has much improved, allowing consumers to search for content through a variety of media. In 2010, 60% of UK adults accessed the Internet everyday or almost every day, almost double the figure estimated for 2006 [1].

It would seem quite unusual for an organisation not to have a presence on the web. The quality of information provided by some sites is something still being debated [2]. The term ‘ehealth’ was originally applied for web based services within healthcare, but today this now includes technologies such as electronic patient records, telehealth and the use of software applications running on tablet devices.  Some IT professionals also use the term web 2.0, but this usually relates to web based technology.

The amount of information available electronically has increased and with it, so has the choice of different media used to access it. From Apples’ iPad to smart phones, there seems to be endless types of technology at our disposal. This can sometimes seem overwhelming, especially if you are unfamiliar with it or an infrequent user.

A recent PiF membership survey rated electronic media as of particular interest to members.  This theme aims to bring you the latest news and views, but we can’t do this without your input. We would like to hear your ideas for content, including case studies, top tips, queries and news that we can use to develop the theme and plan events and workshops. Please contact the theme leader via the PiF administrator at admin@pifonline.org.uk.

1.    www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=8
2.    http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0277953607000160