TABLE 1.

Glossary of eHealth tools and technologies

App: abbreviation for application software. Computer programme designed to perform a specific activity. They can run on computers, portable devices (mobile app) or web servers (web app).

Artificial intelligence (AI): Simulation of processes associated with human intelligence by computers. It includes natural language processing, speech recognition or machine vision.

Big data: Recording and analysis of datasets that are too large, multidimensional, diverse and complex to be adequately processed by traditional software solutions.

eHealth: Abbreviation for electronic health. It includes a diverse group of tools that use computers and the internet to improve the efficacy and efficiency of the health care industry.

Health informatics: Integration of health care and computer science. It comprises electronic health records, computerized physician order entry, clinical decision support systems and software solutions for administrative tasks.

mHealth: Abbreviation for mobile health. Integration of mobile devices (e.g., smartphones) in the practice of health care.

Natural language processing (NLP): NLP is the ability of a computer programme to understand human language as it is spoken.

Social media: Interactive web‐based applications where users can share text posts, comments and multimedia files. They can be used to develop personal or professional social networks.

Telemedicine: Delivery of health‐related services performed via electronic information and telecommunication technologies. They can be real‐time interactive services or store‐and‐forward, which means acquiring data that is subsequently transmitted to a specialist for assessment.

Wearable: Hands‐free electronic device that can be worn as an accessory, clothing or as a part of the body (e.g., smart watches and bracelets and epidermal electronics resembling tattoos).