Mehdi Yousefi; Abbas Assari Arani; Bahram Sahabi; Anoshirvan Kazemnejad; Somayeh Fazaeli
Volume 10, Issue 6 , December 2012, , Pages 876-886
Abstract
Introduction: Information and Communications Technology (ICT) penetration in health and its remarkable ability to increase the efficiency of service delivery and costs reduction has caused increasing attention to these technologies. Accordingly, the development of e-health effects on household health ...
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Introduction: Information and Communications Technology (ICT) penetration in health and its remarkable ability to increase the efficiency of service delivery and costs reduction has caused increasing attention to these technologies. Accordingly, the development of e-health effects on household health expenditure is the main purpose of this article. Methods: This descriptive-applied study was conducted in two stages in 2012. In the first phase, this study used qualitative interviews with a sample of 93 households from eight provinces based on four levels of human development index, to identify the different components of household health expenditure. In the next, an expert’s panel for content analysis of components was employed. In this phase, Impact of e-health development on household health expenditure in each component (Directly, indirectly and without affecting) was investigated. Results: In the first stage of study identified 73 types of household health expenditure and In the next stage, 27 items were diagnosed as types of expenses that directly with the development of e-health can be reduced. Among these cases, e-Health has the greatest potential to reduce the cost of transportation, housing, job changes and stress from lost time. Conclusion: E-Health can be developed as a strategy to reduce household health expenditure of course ICT infrastructures and cooperation for the benefits of the results of this strategy seems to be necessary. Keywords: Health Expenditures; Health Information Technology; Electronic Health
