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 .