Public services: E-governance and e-health - What are we really talking about? 'A cure all for all ills?'

Patient or citizen centred healthcare is about access, choice, communication and service provision. It implies that one of the prime functions of e-healthcare is to deliver a range of effective and efficient information services based on specific needs of different user groups such as health institutions, health professionals and citizens. This paper offers some reflections from the perspectives of communication and political theory on a project that looked at local people's need for health information and recommended strategies for change. It is argued that, in the light of major new technological and other developments in the provision of health information, perspectives from other disciplines allow for improved solutions to be established.