Identification and Classification Features of Patient Portal, A Systematic Review

According to different theories in the field of using web technologies, it can be said that portals are one of the most appropriate tools to facilitate the process of care, communication, and education. Therefore, this systematic review aims to identify the features and functions of health portals that are critical for the success and widespread use of patient web-based portals.

On August 28, 2022, a systematic search was conducted without a time limit in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Preferential reporting guidelines for systematic review and meta-analysis studies were followed. Titles and abstracts were independently screened based on eligibility criteria. The checklist was used for data extraction, and finally, started to identify the functional features of patient portals based on the review of retrieved articles.

We retrieved 1561 articles after initial screening and removing duplicate articles. After reviewing the title and abstract of the articles and applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, finally, 22 articles were selected for full-text review. The required data were extracted based on the checklist designed for this purpose. A total of 186 features were obtained for the design of the patient portal, which led to the identification of 6 main structural features and 30 content features for the design of the portal.

Identifying the structural and content features of patient portals can help healthcare providers and organizations in designing patient portals according to the needs of patients and considering the requirements comprehensively.