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Health Community Portals: A Wish List
Abstract
This paper discusses the features that could add value to a health community portal. Much has been published about Portals. A myriad of aspects have been researched: definitions, technical features, functionality, desirability, attributes and usability, among others. More often than not, specifically in the health sector, these portals appear to be designed to suit the “public or client” market segments. This paper, by contrast, seeks clarification on those aspects that would be relevant to a “Health Community”. That is, to cater for the needs of providers of health (as well as the public) in all its shapes and forms within a pre-determined region. It aims at summarising the most valuable aspects, features and content that might be sought by a health community for a particular region. Initially, a definition of portals is discussed and then consideration is given as to how they might apply in the health domain. The recommended model highlights different functions for health portals: a ‘public’ face and a functional ‘provider’ portal. Each meets the earlier definition of ‘portal’ in that they would provide access to dynamic content from a variety of sources in a variety of source formats as it is needed.
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