| Abstract | In the author's view, several subtle trends will have a profound influence on the delivery of health care: the rapid growth of computer-based electronic communication, the fact that a new generation is increasingly comfortable with the electronic transfer of information, and the shift toward giving patients more responsibility for their health care decisions. These trends are likely to introduce cultural changes in the delivery of care even more revolutionary than any restructuring that is going on today. On-line, computer-assisted communication between patients and medical data bases and between patients and physicians promises to replace a substantial amount of the care now delivered in person. |