Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Aug 21, 2025
Date Accepted: Mar 9, 2026
Barriers and facilitators for the implementation of an online portal in hospital mental health care: An implementation study
ABSTRACT
Background:
In recent years, digital patient portals have become an increasingly common feature of care in various medical fields. Despite growing scientific evidence of their effectiveness and the benefits they offer to patients and caregivers, their implementation, especially in hospitalmental health lags behind expectations.
Objective:
The study aimed to identify the barriers and facilitators to implementing a patient platform in a public mental health hospital setting in Germany.
Methods:
Three psychiatric clinics in the early stages of implementing an online platform for patients participated in this implementation study. We assessed objective usage data (log data from the patient platform) and performed qualitative interviews with professionals and questionnaire surveys with both patients and professionals. We combined the results to develop generic recommendations for the implementation of patient portals in a mental hospital setting employing a two-stage Delphi method with a group of professionals and patients.
Results:
We were able to demonstrate that implementing the online platform in mental health hospital was feasible. Log data from 71 patients indicated variation in the use of the platform functions, while questionnaire data from 27 patients showed satisfaction with the platform and elucidated perceived barriers to usage. Qualitative interview data from 15 professionals revealed facilitators and barriers of the implementation process. We developed ten actionable recommendations for the implementation of digital patient portals in psychiatric hospitals, which were rated by an expert group on different dimensions.
Conclusions:
To our knowledge, this is the first implementation study in a German mental health hospital setting to provide experience-based recommendations for advancing the implementation of digital patient portals in inpatient mental healthcare. Clinical Trial: The study was registered in the German Clinical Trials Register on May 19, 2025 (retrospectively) (DRKS00036894).
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