E-health Concept Development and Maturity in Literature

Abstract

Background: Electronic technologies, which used in electronic health, electronic commerce, electronic learning, and electronic banking, have wildly invaded our life. E-health is a rapidly evolving concept in many disciplines such as nursing and medicine. Objective: To identify the maturity of e-health as a concept to attain better clarity on its meaning and application. Method: Data search included CINAHL, PubMed Central, Google Scholar, Sage Publications, Scopus, Taylor and Francis, Emerald, and Wiley's databases. The concepts of search were: electronic health, e-health, and e-health concept analysis. 36 cited definitions were found in the literature related to e-health. Morse criteria were utilized by assessing four principles to evaluate the level of maturity of e-health concept: (1) the epistemological (2) logical (3) pragmatical, and (4) linguistical principles. Conclusion: e-health concept is still not mature in all disciplines related to health.

Keywords: e-health; concept maturity