Excerpt

This report addresses a broad spectrum of health applications in an attempt to demonstrate the diversity of needs and the degree of commonality in the technical capabilities they require. It is intended to guide a faster realization of the Internet’s potential for health, a potential that has eluded the health sector for too long. The report recognizes that the applications themselves—and the technical capabilities they demand— are moving targets with uncertain trajectories. While today’s demonstration programs hint at the kinds of capabilities that will be needed in the future, the evolutionary path of health applications of the Internet is unclear. Will, for instance, remote medical consultations become viable between any patient and any care provider connected to the Internet, or will this capability remain more localized in its reach and limited to patients and providers in the same health plan? The answer depends on technical, economic, social, and policy considerations that are difficult to predict, and different answers could drive the need for significantly different technical capabilities, as well as a different scale and scope of deployment. The report attempts to recognize these uncertainties and to derive conclusions that are reflective and cognizant of them.

Contents

• The National Academies
• Committee on Enhancing the Internet for Health Applications: Technical Requirements and Implementation Strategies
• Computer Science and Telecommunications Board
• Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications
• Preface
• Acknowledgment of Reviewers
• Executive Summary
  • Health Applications of the Internet
  • Technical Considerations
  • Organizational Barriers to the Adoption of Internet Applications
  • Public Policy Issues
  • Evolving the Internet to Meet Health Needs
  • Looking Forward
  • References
• 1. Overview and Introduction
  • A Systems Perspective
  • The Internet and Health
  • Technical Considerations
  • Networking Alternatives
  • Enhancing the Internet
  • Organization of This Report
  • References
• 2. Health Applications of the Internet
  • Consumer Health
  • Clinical Care
  • Financial and Administrative Transactions
  • Public Health
  • Professional Education
  • Biomedical Research
  • Summary
  • References
• 3. Technical Challenges
  • Quality of Service
  • Security
  • Broadband Technologies for the Local Loop
  • Privacy-Enhancing Technologies
  • Conclusion
  • Bibliography
• 4. Organizational Challenges to the Adoption of the Internet
  • Lessons from Other Industries
  • Advancing the Strategic Interests of Health Care
  • Impediments to Adopting Internet Applications
  • Establishing Organizational Leadership for Information Technology
  • Summary
  • References
• 5. Issues for Public Policy
  • Protection of Personal Health Information
  • Access to Information Infrastructure
  • Intellectual Property Protection
  • Regulations Affecting Electronic Delivery of Health Services
  • Federal Support for Health-Related Information Technology Research
  • Workforce Issues
  • Conclusion
  • References
• 6. Conclusions and Recommendations
  • Conclusions
  • Recommendations
  • A Final Word
  • References
• Appendixes
  • A Site Visit Summaries
  • B National Library of Medicine Awards to Demonstrate Health Applications of the Next Generation Internet
  • C Biographies of Committee Members
  • D Individuals Who Participated in Site Visits or Briefed the Study Committee

Support for this project was provided by the National Library of Medicine under Task Order No. 42, Sponsor Award No. N01-OD-4-2139.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsor.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.