Consumer Empowerment in E-Healthcare: An Investigation Using the Grounded Theory Approach

Technological innovations such as electronic health records (EHRs), regional health information organizations (RHIOs), and the nationwide health information network (NHIN) have enabled increased sharing of medical records in the healthcare community. Recent studies have shown that patients do not trust healthcare providers to keep medical records safe from unauthorized release and want more control over their medical records. Patients seem to have focused attention on negative media stories of information disclosures. Therefore, the notion of patient/consumer empowerment has emerged within the healthcare community’s discussions regarding sharing of medical information. In this research, facets of patient empowerment in e-Healthcare will be investigated through a Grounded theory approach to analyze both United States federal and state patient empowerment groups. It is the first phase of a longitudinal study which will generate theory and enable practitioners to better understand the concept of consumer empowerment in e-Healthcare to develop appropriate eHealthcare policy and technology.