1. Background Technologies
1.1. Inputting devices
1.1.1. e.g. 24-hour Holter Monitoring
1.2. Strorage
1.2.1. Cloud
1.2.2. Database
1.2.2.1. e.g. Vendor neutral archive
1.3. Sharing
1.3.1. Intranet
2. History
2.1. 1980s: a computer-based systems of randomised data for cancer case
2.2. 2003: HKSAR increased investment in the public health information construction.
2.2.1. "SARS" as the motivation
2.3. 2009: Chinese health information "twelfth five-year" plan in "35212" roadmap.
2.3.1. "new medical reform"
2.4. 2013: HHS formed a workgroup obtaining worldwide health care information
3. Problems and concerns
3.1. vulnerable cyber-security
3.2. over-reliance on technology
3.2.1. breakdown of the system
3.3. lack a commonly agreed standard on data interchange between countries
3.4. scale
3.4.1. community education
3.4.2. limiting the access of other parties
3.5. high cost of maintaining systems
4. Current development
4.1. USA
4.1.1. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Investment in electronic medical record
4.1.2. ONCHIT
4.2. Hong Kong
4.2.1. CMS
4.2.2. Organisation
4.2.2.1. eHealth Consortium
4.2.2.2. Hong Kong Society of Medical Informatics
4.3. UK
4.3.1. UKCHIP
4.4. European Union
4.4.1. European eHealth Action Plan
5. Appilications
5.1. Medical institutions
5.1.1. Hospital information system
5.1.1.1. Online booking services
5.1.1.2. Central referral system
5.1.2. Laboratory Information Management System
5.1.2.1. Drug discovery
5.1.3. Picture Archiving and Communication System
5.1.3.1. Remote consultation
5.2. Patients
5.2.1. Personal electronic health record
5.2.1.1. Instant health care service
5.2.1.2. Electronic Prescribing
5.2.2. Health care e-message
5.3. Noticing infectious diseases
6. Advantages
6.1. For patients
6.1.1. saving time
6.1.1.1. more convenient for the disabled
6.1.2. easier to trace back medical history
6.1.3. lower cost
6.2. For medical institutions
6.2.1. lower administration cost
6.2.1.1. saving space for storage
6.2.2. environmentally-friendly
6.2.3. helping medical researsh
6.2.4. completed record e.g. genetic disorder record
6.2.5. more efficient use in resources
6.2.5.1. more centralised to deal with secondary and tertiary care
6.2.5.2. remote consultation for primary care
6.2.6. preventing medical errors
6.3. For medical personnel
6.3.1. improving healthcare quality
6.3.2. reducing workload