"Health services are organized around the treatment of acute episodes: inpatients or outpatients are treated due to a specific problem, and their contact with said services is lost until some other need or problem arises. Nevertheless, patients with chronic pathologies require continuous care in order to maintain or improve their quality of life. They need rapid access to professional advice when facing psycho-physical changes or new vital circumstances that may arise. Besides, they seek to participate actively in the decisions taken upon their treatment, after gathering information regarding their condition.

Nowadays, as a consequence of the fragmentation of health systems, one same patient is seen by various physicians, according to his/her health condition. These professionals do not share information regarding the patient, nor do they have access to a shared case history, and this may lead to the requirement of unnecessary and repeated tests, an increase in unfavourable effect risks, incompatible prescriptions, and contradictory recommendations regarding different habits, such as dietary ones.

Within this context, the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), will improve the uncoordinated and fragmented manner in which health services are nowadays provided, thus allowing, by means of tools and electronic integrated services, a better health care: more rapid and precise diagnosis, less medical errors and unnecessary tests, optimization of waiting time to receive care and access to test results, and the reduction of administrative expenses."

Source: Comoestas, 2009.