This increasingly distributed
system of specialized, mainly outpatient,
health care places new demands on
patients. They are expected to participate
proactively, regularly coordinating
their care among
multiple providers, interacting
with health information
outside the
medical center or
clinic, and sharing
health information
with others
in their personal
and professional lives
for monitoring their own health status,
managing their recovery, and communicating with
clinicians from home.