They can also seek out relevant and useful information on the Internet in the Ubiquitous Healthcare Information System (UHIS) and gain continuous support from ubiquitous healthcare professionals or physicians.
On the other hand, the UHIS encourages ubiquitous healthcare consumers to share their many hidden concerns with physicians who have virtual presence, and enables them to become active participants in self care.
How will the traditional healthcare system be changed in accordance with ubiquitous healthcare
Ubiquitous healthcare strategies include designing, planning and implementing non-traditional u-healthcare delivery modalities. Basically, a strategic u-healthcare framework may be thought of as a unique coupling of organizations' u-health business structures to satisfy the identified business needs or to leverage strategic opportunities with a set of value propositions.
Popular e-business structures include business-to-consumer (B2C) or business-to-business (B2B) service models whereas the value propositions can be some or a combination of specific performance goals such as achieving greater efficiency, convenience, effectiveness, affordability, accessibility, and intelligence.
The u-healthcare market system facilitates bi-directional and synchronized access to information for all stakeholders involved in u-healthcare processes and in the u-healthcare marketplace. These stakeholders are u-healthcare consumers, u-healthcare payers, u-healthcare clinics and physicians, u-healthcare providers, uhealthcare vendors and u-healthcare insurers.
As stated in Vol. 53, the benefits of ubiquitous healthcare are the goals to achieve in u-healthcare processes and in the u-healthcare marketplace. They are, first, providing real-time availability and accessibility of healthcare knowledge and expertise on a more equitable basis to underserved rural and urban areas regardless of time, specialty, and geographic location. Second, savings in procedural, travel, and claim processing costs through reduced use of traditional emergency services, improved non-emergency services, and decreased waiting time for non-emergency services. And third, comprehensive availability of ubiquitous clinical services and timely access to critical information will be available in the event of emergencies through greater awareness of services among rural and remote residents and caregivers.
As mentioned in Vol. 54, a ubiquitous service shall satisfy the criteria of ubiquity (A.T.S.A.T.): Availability, Transparency, Seamlessness, Awareness, and Trustworthiness. And it shall meet the criteria of ubiquitous computing (S.C.A.L.E.): Scalability, Connectivity, Adaptability, Liability and Ease-of-Use.
The status of u-healthcare consumers takes different steps in medical examination or consultation, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring. Accordingly, u-healthcare consumers have a different u-healthcare service.
Methodologically, u-healthcare physician consultations begin with a u-healthcare consumer having a health problem, for example, arthritis, hair loss, back pain, or some other symptom. A request for a u-consultation is initiated when the patient logs into the clinic's web site. The web site can prompt first-time visitors for their medical history. Even when consulting in person, the physician depends on the honesty and accuracy of patient self-reports in order to dispense the proper treatment. Of course, visible physical ailments can be detected in person but are difficult and often impossible to perceive in u-consultations. And ubiquitous technologies such as inexpensive, interactive web-based videoconferencing and remote vital sign detection diminish this difference between physical and virtual consultations.
Another step is for the patient to provide acceptable information on means of payment. After the payment information is received, the fees are displayed. Once the patient has been accepted for u-consultation and has agreed to the fee structure, he or she will be asked to describe current medical problems, including precise information about symptoms - that is, how often, where, and when the problems occur; what solutions have already been tried, if any; what makes the symptoms worse; what medications have previously alleviated the symptoms; and what treatments have been arranged to resolve the symptoms. This information completes the initial u-healthcare consumer record.
