E-Health: Accessing Knowledge for Global Health

Globalization and information and communication technology (ICT) continues to change us and the world we live in, particularly when one considers the influence of ICT on health (e-health). The barriers that have contributed in the past to the inaccessibility of vital health information (and the experience needed to transform such data into actionable knowledge) are beginning to dissipate. Worldwide growth of telecommunications, a groundswell of technology savvy populations, and the dawning awareness of the power of digital health information are fundamentally altering the face of global health. As Thomas Friedman writes, ICT has made everyone a virtual next-door-neighbor, has "flattened" the world, leveled the playing field, and has enabled the exchange data and services from even the most remote locales around the globe. ICT in health is a global game-changer.