Finding A Grassroots Voice for Consumer Empowerment in E-Healthcare: A State Level Perspective Using the Grounded Theory Investigation

摘要

Emerging technological innovations such as electronic health records (EHRs), regional health information organizations (RHIOs), and the nationwide health information network (NHIN) have enabled increased sharing of medical records in the healthcare community. Recent studies have shown that patients do not trust their healthcare providers to keep iheir medical records safe from unauthorized release and want more control over their medical records. Therefore, the notion of patientyconsumer empowerment has emerged within the healthcare community's discussions regarding sharing of medical information and development of policy and technological innovations. In this research, facets of patient empowerment in e-Healthcare will be investigated using a grounded theory approach.