Exposure to "Exergames" Increases Older Adults' Perception of the Usefulness of Technology for Improving Health and Physical Activity: A Pilot Study.

Background: High rates of sedentary behaviors in older adults can lead to poor health outcomes. However, new technologies, namely exercise-based videogames ("exergames"), may provide ways of stimulating uptake and ongoing participation in physical activities. Older adults' perceptions of the use of technology to improve health are not known.

Educating the Health Informatics Professional: The Impact of an Academic Program.

Introduction: The successful implementation and utilisation of electronic health information systems is dependent on a highly knowledgeable and skilled workforce. In Australia there is a range of education and training opportunities that seeks to meet these workforce needs. This range of programs reflects both the multi-disciplinary characteristic of health informatics and its wide application within the healthcare environment.

Health Informatics and E-health Curriculum for Clinical Health Profession Degrees.

The project reported in this paper models a new approach to making health informatics and e-health education widely available to students in a range of Australian clinical health profession degrees. The development of a Masters level subject uses design-based research to apply educational quality assurance practices which are consistent with university qualification frameworks, and with clinical health profession education standards; at the same time it gives recognition to health informatics as a specialised profession in its own right. The paper presents details of (a) design with reference to the Australian Qualifications Framework and CHIA competencies, (b) peer review within a three-university teaching team, (c) external review by experts from the professions, (d) cross-institutional interprofessional online learning, (e) methods for evaluating student learning experiences and outcomes, and (f) mechanisms for making the curriculum openly available to interested parties.

Personal health information, privacy and surveillance: do we need a critical voice?

This paper argues that many expanding secondary uses of personal health information are moving beyond legitimate monitoring processes, to become surveillance practices used for purposes of controlling individuals and populations. The paper focuses on the academic discipline of health informatics as a key claim-making site for influencing understandings about uses of personal health information. Using a Foucauldian influenced analysis, it discusses the way discourses shape our attitude to expanding uses of personal health information.

Using personal health information: do we manage conflicting interests?

The discipline of health informatics is concerned with developing the information systems that facilitate collection, manipulation and dissemination of personal health information. It promotes the benefits of using personal health information for secondary purposes, including policy development, service planning and research. At the same time the health informatics community is a strong advocate of privacy and the need to protect individuals from negative consequences arising from unauthorised use of their personal health information.

Consumer e-health: an overview of research evidence and implications for future policy.

Consumer e-health is rapidly becoming a fundamental component of healthcare. However, to date only provisional steps have been taken to increase our understanding of how consumers engage with e-health. This study, an interpretive review, assessed the evidence about consumer use of e-health and identified five categories that encompass consumer e-health: (i) peer-to-peer online support groups; (ii) self-management/self-monitoring applications; (iii) decision aids; (iv) the personal health record; and (v) Internet use.

Conceptual challenges for advancing the socio-technical underpinnings of health informatics.

This discussion paper considers the adoption of socio-technical perspectives and their theoretical and practical influence within the discipline of health informatics. The paper highlights the paucity of discussion of the philosophy, theory and concepts of socio-technical perspectives within health informatics. Instead of a solid theoretical base from which to describe, study and understand human-information technology interactions we continue to have fragmented, unelaborated understandings.

Successes and failures: what are we measuring?

In telemedicine and telehealth, the perception of success is complex, varies according to time and context, and depends on the perspective of the observer. Several reviews of the evaluation literature have been undertaken in recent years. These reviews identify common methodological shortcomings.

The diffusion of innovation: factors influencing the uptake of telehealth.

The actual use of telehealth, particularly for clinical consultations, has in many cases been less than anticipated. The literature identifies a number of factors or barriers. These include legal issues, technical difficulties, time and convenience, cost and training/familiarity with the equipment.

The diffusion of innovation: factors influencing the uptake of telehealth.

The actual use of telehealth, particularly for clinical consultations, has in many cases been less than anticipated. The literature identifies a number of factors or barriers. These include legal issues, technical difficulties, time and convenience, cost and training/familiarity with the equipment.