Health capital: a conceptual framework for user diversity in health information systems

Perspectives on health as individualized and privatized capital can shed light on the construction of individual health and the inequalities in the interaction of users with health information systems. Capital denotes the resources available to an agent to produce a desired outcome, be it a product, a service, or an improvement in one’s health status. Health capital comprises those resources available to an agent that can - immediately or through processes of conversion - be employed to maintain good health and manage illness. Such resources can be economic, social, cultural, or even symbolic in nature, including but not limited to the agents’ health-related skills and competencies, their social networks and relationships, their financial means, and their social status. Examples of applying this concept cover the spectrum from professional healthcare to self-care.