Background: Patients and citizens need access to their health information to get a retrospective as well as a\nprospective view on their care and rehabilitation processes. However, patientsâ?? health information is stored in\nseveral health information systems and interoperability problems often hamper accessibility. In Sweden a national\nhealth information exchange (HIE) platform has been developed that enables information exchange between\ndifferent health information systems. The aim of this study is to explore the opportunities and limitations of\naccessing and interacting with important health information through the Swedish national HIE platform.\nMethods: A single case study approach was used for this study as an in-depth understanding of the subject was\nneeded. A fictive patient case with a pseudo-name was created based on an interview with a stroke coordinator in\nStockholm County. Information access through the national health information exchange platform and available\nservice contracts and application programming interfaces were studied using different scenarios.\nResults: Based on the scenarios created in this study, patients would be able to access some health related\ninformation from their electronic health records using the national health information exchange platform. However,\nthere is necessary information which is not retrievable as it is either stored in electronic health records and eHealth\nservices which are not connected to the national health information exchange platform or there is no service\ncontract developed for these types of information. In addition, patients are not able to share information with\nhealthcare professionals.\nConclusion: The national Swedish HIE platform provides the building blocks needed to allow patients online\naccess to their health information in a fragmented and distributed health system. However, more complex\ninteraction scenarios allowing patients to communicate with their health care providers or to update their health\nrelated information are not yet supported. Therefore it is of great importance to involve patients throughout the\ndesign and evaluation of eHealth services on both national and local levels to ensure that their needs for\ninteroperability and information exchange are met.
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