In recent years, the impact of digital technologies in the field of health has been increasing rapidly. In order to adapt to the developing technologies and to make sense of the process, it is of great importance to understand the content of the concepts in this field. The use of information technologies in health services is classified as eHealth, telehealth and telemedicine according to their scope. While telehealth is a wider range of remote health services that are not necessarily related to the clinical field, telemedicine is a part of remote services related to the clinical field. The most comprehensive of these concepts, e-Health is defined by the World Health Organization as the cost-effective and secure use of information and communication technologies to support health and health-related fields. e-Health offers a potential for solving health problems, especially in situations where long distances or limited time and resources are encountered. The determinants of the use of these applications are multifaceted and vary depending on the context, individual, region and health system. Individual determinants include people’s intention, education level, age, computer and health literacy, trust in security and privacy, preference for face-to-face communication, and willingness of doctors. Contextual factors include technical factors, financial issues, and legal concerns.

In the digitalization process triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and extraordinary situations, telemedicine and telehealth service applications and artificial intelligence supported services are being systematized with legal regulations in many countries. In the future, we expect further integration of advances in artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, VR/AR and wireless technology, and the need for comprehensive policies and regulations to guide the ethical and effective use of these technologies. In addition, there is a need to increase the awareness, studies and practices of users and practitioners in this very new and current issue.

In the book of “Telehealth, Telemedicine and Public Health”, which we have developed with this idea, each of the topics discussed by authors from different disciplines is valuable in solving the confusion of definitions, seeing the state of use in the world and in Türkiye, examining the factors affecting its use and the target groups using it, its use in health institutions/units and evaluating and developing approaches in important topics of public health. It is thought that the chapters in this book will be a resource for academicians, all health personnel working in different fields in the field, health managers, relevant persons and organizations.

Prof. Dr. Seçil ÖZKAN
Editor
Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Ankara, Türkiye

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hülya ŞİRİN
Associate Editor
University of Health Sciences Gülhane Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Ankara, Türkiye