Use of information and communication technologies in public health

The development of information and communications technologies (ICT) and Internet offers public health practitioners new tools to fulfil their missions of monitoring public health, health promotion and disease prevention, and public health protection. In recent years, new applications and practices in public health using these technologies have emerged, particularly in the area of communication among practitioners and transmission of information to the population. This article aims to give an overall view of the use of ICT in public health and to discuss the impact of these technologies on public health practices. The discussion is centred around the implications of using these new technologies: implications with regard to the new possibilities provided by these technologies, but also with regard to the difficulties involved in their use as well as issues related to unequal access and ethics. Finally, the question of the evaluation of these technologies and of their impact on public health is discussed.