Public Participation in Design of Health Empowering Information Systems

Policy makers recognise that effective communication and collaboration between healthcare professionals and patients must be the cornerstone of healthcare, and aims to transform this relationship (Johannsen and Kensing 2005). There is an assumption that empowerment can be organised and is present as a result of information being accessible. The British Choose and Book portal (www.healthspace.nhs.uk) and Danish e-health portal (www.sundhed.dk) are examples of making knowledge and services available to the individual citizens:
Sundhed.dk is the official Danish eHealth Portal for the public Danish Healthcare Services (‘sundhed’ means health in Danish).

For the first time, the public Danish Healthcare Services have been brought together on the Internet by Sundhed.dk. This makes it possible for patients, their families and healthcare professionals alike to access information and to communicate with each other.(www.sundhed.dk, accessed 13 November 2008)
Sundhed.dk serves as a reservoir of knowledge or source of information for the patients to empower the general public (Johannsen and Kensing 2005). Kensing and Johannsen raise the question of which type of information is the Information System (IS) going to provide to empower the public?