Patient portal

Health Management Glossary

Digital Health and AI

Definition. A patient portal is a secure online service through which patients can view parts of their health record and communicate with their care providers.

Explanation

Portals typically offer access to test results, medication lists and visit summaries, together with appointment booking, prescription renewal and secure messaging. They are usually tied to the provider’s electronic health record.

Reviews find that portals can support engagement, adherence and self-management, but effects on clinical outcomes are mixed (Ammenwerth et al., 2012; Irizarry et al., 2015). Use is lower among older people and groups with limited digital or health literacy, so portals can widen inequalities unless access and support are planned.

Related concepts

Electronic health record (EHR) Health literacy Telehealth Patient-centered care

Read on The Health Topics

• Exploring Umbrella Reviews in Digital Health
• Navigating LLMs in Healthcare: Pitfalls and Potentials
• Digital Health Technologies for Screening and Identifying Unmet Social Needs: Scoping Review
• Health IT’s Evolution: Patient-Centric Care in the US
• Human Factors in Health Informatics: Recent Advances

References

Ammenwerth, E., Schnell-Inderst, P., & Hoerbst, A. (2012). The impact of electronic patient portals on patient care: A systematic review of controlled trials. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 14(6), e162.

Irizarry, T., DeVito Dabbs, A., & Curran, C. R. (2015). Patient portals and patient engagement: A state of the science review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 17(6), e148.

Cite this entry: Kurutkan, M. N. (2026). Patient portal. In The Health Topics glossary. https://healthtopic.org/glossary/patient-portal/

← Back to the glossary