The use of eHeath and digital health technology for lymphoedema care

While electronic health (eHealth) has been gaining in popularity in recent years, its adoption was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, when restrictions on in-person consultations compelled healthcare practitioners to turn to modalities such as telehealth for patient management. There are numerous potential benefits of using eHealth in lymphoedema management, including improved access to care, better tracking of symptoms and enhanced options for patient engagement and empowerment. As healthcare practitioners continue to prioritise patient-centred care, with an emphasis on putting the patient’s needs first and making treatment as accessible as possible, eHealth offers a promising opportunity to improve lymphoedema care. This article provides an overview of eHealth, explores a classification system for the various forms of eHealth, discusses the rationale for using eHealth, and proposes future research directions in lymphoedema care.