Identification and Classification Features of Patient Portal, A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Web Technology Applications in Healthcare
• Patient Engagement Strategies

Background:

• Patient portals are recognized as valuable tools for enhancing healthcare delivery, communication, and education.
• Web technologies, particularly patient portals, offer significant potential for improving patient care processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically identify the essential features and functions of health portals crucial for their successful adoption and widespread use.
• To determine the critical structural and content elements required for effective patient web-based portals.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive systematic search was conducted across major databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science) on August 28, 2022.
• Eligibility criteria were applied to screen titles and abstracts, followed by full-text review of selected articles.
• Data extraction utilized a checklist to identify functional features for patient portal design.

Main Results:

• An initial screening of 1561 articles resulted in the selection of 22 articles for full-text review.
• A total of 186 features were identified for patient portal design.
• The review identified 6 main structural features and 30 content features critical for patient portal development.

Conclusions:

• Understanding the structural and content features of patient portals is vital for healthcare providers and organizations.
• Designing patient portals based on identified features ensures alignment with patient needs and comprehensive requirements.
• This research provides a foundation for developing user-centered and effective patient portal solutions.