eHealth: Tackling the demand for citizen information on the Internet

Abstract- Information resources are an important part of e-Health and websites that provide customised and local information help tackle the needs of patients and informal carers. In today’s climate of information-acquisitive patients [1], the Internet provides a pervasive way to present facts about diseases and conditions, and advice for those who need it. At the Ulster Institute of eHealth, information websites have been designed and developed that provide appropriate information that is suitable for patients, carers and to an extent, healthcare professionals. Our initial requirements were for: • Promotion of breastfeeding of newborn babies under the guidelines of the Baby Friendly initiative; • Information, risk factors and treatments appropriate to stroke victims; • Information for the self-management of chronic pain and explanation of procedures used at the hospital pain clinic. The presentation illustrates how these web sites were designed in the context of exemplar patient sites, clinical feedback and guidelines provided by the Health on the Net foundation.