Digital health information – opportunities and challenges for active engagement for personal health and well-being

Abstract

Digital health information is transforming health care, driving ongoing practice transformation, new application areas and opportunities for innovation and change. In this keynote, I will share a vision for active citizen engagement using digital information for health and well-being purposes where we, as citizens, can benefit from emerging opportunities. To take full advantage of opportunities for a) self-care and prevention of ill-health, b) collaboration and coordination in periods of active treatment, or c) selfmanagement to reap the full benefits of ongoing therapy, understanding access to information, comprehension of health information (literacy), and citizens deliberate every-day choices are important. Current challenges include the restricted access to information, apprehension regarding the integrity of information, retaining meaning when data are used for multiple purposes and lack of clear governance. I will share examples from ongoing research where we seek to equip citizens with novel tools to engage in self-care, collaboration and self-management and discuss experiences and challenges for the potential of digital tools to foster engagement in personal health and well-being.