The national health portal: development opportunities and potential uses with special consideration of the general practitioner’s perspective

Abstract

Background: The German National Health Portal, which is currently in preparation, is intended to provide evidence-based health information. It seems sensible to reflect on development perspectives in order to be able to estimate application horizons as well as usage and impact potential of the portal under the conditions of the health system so that specific additional value can be generated. Objectives: Considering the implementation experience of other European countries, the current status of the project and the perspective of political decisionmakers and medical practitioners are outlined. Fundamental recommendations on how a national health portal can be successfully established, especially with regard to primary care, are derived from the analysis. Methods: On the basis of a literature search and two preliminary studies, the article examines the development categories in which a national health portal could be designed in the future. Results: Based on the overview, a number of dimensions appear to be decisive for the planning and implementation process of a national health portal. These relate to embedment in a higher-level e‑health strategy, convergence and integration measures with regard to evidence-based information, ensuring sufficient findability on the Internet, a substantive focus that addresses target groups, a functional structure, as well as sponsorship and involvement of healthcare actors. Conclusions: An evidence-based portal can be a valuable instrument to better educate patients, strengthen the doctor–patient relationship, and advance the digitalization of the healthcare system more strongly. Therefore, a sufficient degree of innovation and integration ability as well as awareness and visibility within the health system should be ensured.