title: The multiple faces of the e-patient, if not disabled.
abstract: The term e-health entered common speech a few years ago , while the term "e-patient" has recently appeared on the healthcare scenario. The aim of the present paper is to describe the nature of the so called "e-patient" from different points of view, through a review, not systematic, of the literature. A profile, though not totally exhaustive, of the current e-patient has been drawn, in an attempt to report uncertainties and worries that should not be underestimated. Comments are provided on the asymmetry between the evaluation effort around the internet world and corresponding face-to-face world. Disabled patients are almost excluded from the e-patient family due to the inaccessibility of most of the health related web sites.
authors.affiliation: S. Maugeri Foundation IRCCS, Pavia, Italy. cmazzoleni@fsm.it
authors.forename: M Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Mazzoleni
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Corbella
mesh_terms: D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007558:Italy; D008490:Medical Informatics; D010361:Patients