[1] The term encompasses those who seek guidance for their own ailments, and the friends and family members who research on their behalf.
The "e" can stand for "electronic" but has also been used to refer to other terms, such as "equipped", "enabled", "empowered" and "expert".
[13] A 2012 study found that e-patients uploading videos about their health experienced a loss of privacy, but also positive benefits from social support.
[14] A later 2017 study utilizing social network analysis found that when e-patients are included in health care conferences, they increase information flow, expand propagation, and deepen engagement in the conversation of tweets when compared to both physicians and researchers while only making up 1.4% of the stakeholder mix.
[15] According to Maho Isono, PhD, at the International University of Health and Welfare in Ōtawara, Japan, the term closest to e-patient in Japanese is tojisha-kenkyu, where "kenkyu means study, investigation and research" and "tojisha refers to interested persons, disabled persons themselves or patients themselves.