3. Challenges in meeting the financial demands of developing and
implementing e-health service infrastructures persist.
E-health initiatives garner favor among policymakers, leading to the
development and implementation of numerous applications at significant
costs40 .
The high initial costs and uncertain returns pose major barriers to the
adoption of electronic health records and other clinical IT applications
for physicians. Research conducted among primary care physicians by
Anderson et al. revealed that those lacking financial support and
apprehensive about investment costs are less inclined to adopt
electronic prescribing and decision support
tools41 . Encouraging physicians to take these
steps necessitates their willingness to embrace publicly supported
projects and exhibit greater courage.
The primary care population is remarkably diverse, encompassing
individuals with varying socioeconomic statuses, health literacy levels,
educational backgrounds, and age groups, as well as individuals from
diverse cultural contexts. Economic or cognitive factors may impede
equal accessibility of e-health applications for all these groups,
thereby exacerbating existing health
inequalities42 .
When discussing e-health approaches, emphasis should be placed on the
accessibility, equity, and inclusivity of
practices29 .