The changing role of health care IC card systems

Health care researchers and professionals have had increasing interest in the development of Internet-based solutions in health care, casting doubt on the future of IC card systems. However, IC cards used in conjunction with Internet-based health information systems may be more viable than either system alone. We conducted a worldwide survey to explore the possibilities of such a combined system. Our analysis shows that there is considerable awareness of the concept of Internet-based health care services among the professionals of IC card projects. In addition, our results indicate that IC cards could play a major role in health care systems as authorization keys that permit access to health information.