What is Evidence Based

Within the umbrella of e-commerce, one area, e-health, has yet to reach its full potential in many developed countries, let alone developing countries. Each country is positioned differently and has varying potential and preparedness regarding embracing e-commerce technologies generally and e-health in particular. Given the macrolevel nature of many issues pertaining to the development of e-health (Alvarez, 2002), in order to be more effective in their e-health initiatives, it is important for countries to assess their potential, identify their relative strengths and weaknesses, and thereby develop strategies and policies to address these issues to effectively formulate and implement appropriate e-health initiatives. To do this effectively, it is valuable to have an integrative framework that enables the assessment of a country’s e-health preparedness. This article serves to develop such a framework that can be applied to various countries throughout the globe, and from this generate an e-health preparedness grid. In so doing, we hope to facilitate better understanding of e-health initiatives and thus maximize their power.