Dating back to the 1960s, records of treatment, medicine, diagnosis, and social care efforts can be traced across the entire Danish population. In 1968, the Danish Civil Registration System (the CPR number) was implemented. The CPR-register is the backbone for e-health in Denmark as it allows for a unique digital identification of all citizens. Healthcare records including those from the hospitals, GPs, and dentists are all digitalised. Remarkably, an average of 5.5 million digital messages are exchanged between 150 different systems every month.

E-health involves streamlining routine activities for patients, their caregivers and healthcare professionals, resulting in more efficient use of the healthcare system’s resources. By leveraging new technologies, e-health promotes better coherence, closer cooperation, and higher quality treatment. This includes optimising workflows, improving communication, and enhancing patient care through innovative technological solutions.

A prime example of e-health in Denmark is the Shared Medication Record, an electronic register that provides citizens and healthcare professionals access to a complete electronic record of each citizen’s current prescription medications. The system allows for real-time updates, communication and information sharing between hospitals, GPs, municipalities, and pharmacies. Citizens can also access their own medication data and request prescription renewals through a dedicated app. Additionally, parents can access their children’s data through the app, enhancing patient empowerment and engagement.

The Danish e-health portal, Sundhed.dk, is the official internet-based platform for accessing public healthcare services in Denmark. It facilitates communication and information exchange between citizens and healthcare professionals, making it a unique platform for the entire Danish healthcare sector. Sundhed.dk enables all Danish citizens to access updated healthcare information from national health registers, medical records, laboratory tests, medications, and more. This national-level data sharing allows patients and their families to obtain an overview of their healthcare information and promotes efficient communication between healthcare stakeholders.

The comprehensive digitalisation of commonly used messages such as referrals, discharge letters, and laboratory test results, along with the implementation of the Shared Medication Record and the availability of information through the Danish e-health portal, collectively form a robust digital foundation for further advancements in e-health solutions.