Impact of Modern Information Technologies on Healthcare Seeking Behavior (Literature Review)

Abstract

There is growing interest worldwide to study various factors that influence on patients (health care consumers) behavior
while seeking health care. Findings from these studies may be successfully utilized for future planning of health care
system to make it more consumer-centered, comprehensive and responsive. In parallel to traditional health seeking, during the recent decades more and more consumers apply to modern information technologies to obtain healthcare information. In many developed countries, patients and their family members intensively utilize internet in seeking health
care providers. Recently, specially developed web-sites and mobile phone applications give health care consumers great
chances to search and select desired providers. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) may positively influence on health seeking behavior in developing countries as well. There has been extensive international discussion
about the increasing potential of ICTs to make considerable impact in improving health and well-being of poor and
marginalized population, alleviate poverty, and increase efficiency and effectiveness of health care system. During the
last decade, the Government of Georgia (GoG) has privatized almost all health care facilities as trying to implement
radical neo-liberal reforms in all sectors of economy including health and social welfare. Expanding role of the private
sector has been accompanied by considerable reduction of the state regulating functions. As a result, Georgian patients
have very limited access to information on quality and safety of health care services offered by various providers. Few
papers studied health care seeking behavior in Georgia with particular focus on barriers to health care utilization. So far,
no study exists that have analyzed the impact of modern information technologies on health seeking behavior of the
patients in Georgia. This is considerable challenge, particularly taking consideration significant speed of contemporary
informational technologies development.