The role of information technology in disease management

Advances in information technology provide multiple opportunities for the improvement of healthcare delivery in diagnosis, management, and support of disease. Improved automated decision support systems, coupled with evidence-based medicine, form the basis for important aids that assist the physician in the diagnostic process. In addition, telemedicine provides the ability to monitor and evaluate treatment effectiveness for patients who have difficulty visiting the physician and is particularly useful for healthcare follow-up in rural areas. Web-based information sources can benefit all patients and their caregivers. Online support groups as well as web-based sources of support can ease the burden of caregivers. Combinations of technologies that address the delivery of healthcare from diagnosis to management permit the development of patient-specific models that can impact disease management from the patient's perspective. Transfer of these techniques into clinical practice is illustrated here for diagnosis, management, and support of dementia.