eHealth, opgekomen in navolging van het elektronisch bankieren en zakendoen (internetbankieren, e-commerce), kent tientallen definities, waarvan die van Eysenbach (2001, e20, p. 2) vaak wordt geciteerd: ‘E-health is an emerging field in the intersection of medical informatics, public health and business, referring to health services and information delivered or enhanced through the internet and related technologies. In a broader sense, the term characterizes not only a technical development, but also a state-of-mind, a way of thinking, an attitude, and a commitment for networked, global thinking, to improve health care locally, regionally, and worldwide by using information and communication technology.’