What goes on in health care affects us all, and what goes on in health care is increasingly affected by advances in information and communication technologies that have already led to the introduction of electronic general practitioner and hospital records, to the use of the internet to access personal healthcare records and health-related information, to web-based interactions for assessment, therapy, consultation, and to much else. Additionally, the increasing availability and use of smartphones and portable and tablet computers adds a new dimension, enabling quick and easy remote communication and access to an abundance of information. Many of these developments are already in place, and their potential, together with other developments, to revolutionise health care, is evident in the newly released information strategy for the NHS 'The power of information: Putting all of us in control of the health and care information we need' (available from http://informationstrategy.dh.gov.uk).
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