Policy Brief | Health Online Services in Portugal

Ever tried to manage health tasks online, like booking appointments or accessing records? Our new policy brief, "Health Online Services in Portugal," dives deep into how Portuguese hospitals are performing in the digital world.

Developed by the United Nations University Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV), the Health Online Service Provision Index (HOSPI) is a special tool used to check hospital websites. We've applied this tool in Portugal in 2019, 2021, and 2023 to track progress.

This brief gives you a snapshot of our findings, highlighting:

• The Good News: Portuguese hospital websites are generally strong when it comes to Technology Features like how easy they are to navigate, their security, and how readable they are. There's been a general effort to improve website design and maintenance.
• Areas Needing Work: Online Services (like managing appointments or accessing medical records) and Community Interaction (like easily asking questions or providing feedback) are consistently the weaker areas. Many essential digital services are still missing.
• Public vs. Private: The brief touches on the differences between public and private hospitals in their online offerings.
• Key Recommendations: It also provides important suggestions for hospitals to improve, focusing on things like enhancing digital patient services, boosting transparency, and fostering engagement with patients online.

Understanding these points is crucial for making healthcare more patient-friendly and efficient.

Ready to learn more about the digital health landscape in Portugal and the detailed recommendations? Access the full Policy Brief here, at Collections at UNU.