Summary
Objectives To provide an overview of the current excellent research done in the field of advancements
in Education and Consumer Informatics as well as studies done to better understand,
the already existing systems.
Method Synopsis of the articles on education and consumer health selected for the IMIA Yearbook
of Medical Informatics 2008.
Results In the domain of education, eHealth literacy becomes a key topic and a challenge,
the Internet evolving as the primary medium to access health information. A system
developed to measure the eHealth literacy level of consumers reflects the importance
of this skill. In consumer health informatics, the selected papers emphasize valuable
advances in bridging the information gap as well as the growing implementation of
functioning systems.
Conclusion The selected articles highlight the need for recognising existing weak links in the
healthcare system and then strengthening them through patient education and involvement,
as well as possible improvements through real-world implementations.
Keywords
Education - consumer health informatics - health literacy - tele-consultation - Internet
usage study
