What can patient portals be used for besides appointment scheduling?

Patient portals serve numerous purposes in facilitating communication and engagement between healthcare providers and patients, beyond merely scheduling appointments. One of the key features is to provide health and wellness information. These portals often include educational resources, articles, and tools that empower patients to understand their health conditions, treatment options, and overall wellness strategies.

By offering a centralized location for this information, portals enhance patient knowledge and encourage proactive participation in their health management. This access can significantly improve patient outcomes, as individuals who are better informed are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors and follow medical advice.

Other options, while they touch on relevant patient care topics, either do not align with the primary function of a patient portal or may not be standard features. For instance, sharing personal anecdotes or directly handling patient complaints may not be appropriate or secure ways to use such a portal. Additionally, while compiling medical records is important, patient portals typically do not serve as permanent storage for complete medical histories; instead, they facilitate access to existing records rather than serving as a comprehensive database.