European Commission launches new Health Portal

EC Health PortalIn 2005 at least one third of the European adult population, 130 million EU citizens, browsed the web in search of information on health. However, searching for health-related information is not always easy. Researchers can be confronted with thousands of sites, many of them complex, and it can be hard to know which are reliable or up to date. To help European citizens answer their health questions, the Commission has today launched the "Health-EU Portal". The launch event took place in Malaga, Spain, within the Commission-sponsored "eHealth" conference.

The Health-EU Portal is a gateway to simple and sound information on 47 topics that range from babies' health to bio-terrorism, and from infectious diseases to health insurance. It is aimed at citizens, patients, healthcare professionals and scientists alike. Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said: "The Health-EU Portal is a very large project bringing together all EU Member States as well as EFTA[1] nations, international organisations and NGOs. Web surfers will have access to over 40,000 links to trustworthy sources. The translation of the Portal into all 20 official EU languages means that up to 1.5 billion people worldwide can use it to help them to make healthy choices."

Healthier choices
One of the main goals of the Portal is to help people take responsibility for and improve their own health. It provides information on a wide range of health concerns. Forty-seven topics are divided into six thematic areas:

  • "My Health" – e.g. women's health, people with disabilities, babies and children (nutritional advice, toy safety tips etc)
  • "My Lifestyle" – e.g. nutrition, drugs, tobacco, sports and leisure, travel advice (pan-EU emergency call number, what to do if you get sick in another Member State etc)
  • "My Environment" – e.g. at home, road safety, consumer rights
  • "Health Problems" – e.g. cancer, mental health, cardiovascular diseases (nutritional and lifestyle advice etc)
  • "Care for Me" – e.g. long term care, insurance, mobility, medicines
  • "Health in the EU" – e.g. research, indicators, statistics.

Professional tool
The site is also intended to be an important tool for scientists, policy makers and health professionals. It will provide the latest developments in research and supply links to a large number of specialist websites.

Window to the world
In addition to information from the Commission and its agencies, for example those working on communicable diseases, drug prevention, medicines and health and safety at work, a Member States' section gives easy access to health and health-related policies of all EU governments. Further sections on European NGOs and international organisations give details of their work. Visitors will also find facts about the latest events, statistics, health indicators, news, legislation and publications.

Background
The €600,000 project is an initiative of the EU Public Health Programme 2003-2008 with financial support from the Interchange of Data between Administrations, which aims to promote greater involvement of the public, institutions, organisations and associations in health. The Portal also corresponds with the aims of the e-Europe Action Plan – providing citizens with simple, clear and scientifically sound information on-line.

An Editorial Board composed of Commission services and Member States representatives will oversee the content development of the Portal using standard procedures.

For further infromation, please visit:
http://health.europa.eu

Most Popular Now

Most Advanced Artificial Touch for Brain…

For the first time ever, a complex sense of touch for individuals living with spinal cord injuries is a step closer to reality. A new study published in Science, paves...

Picking the Right Doctor? AI could Help

Years ago, as she sat in waiting rooms, Maytal Saar-Tsechansky began to wonder how people chose a good doctor when they had no way of knowing a doctor's track record...

From Text to Structured Information Secu…

Artificial intelligence (AI) and above all large language models (LLMs), which also form the basis for ChatGPT, are increasingly in demand in hospitals. However, patient data must always be protected...

Deep Learning Model Helps Detect Lung Tu…

A new deep learning model shows promise in detecting and segmenting lung tumors, according to a study published in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)...

AI Innovation Unlocks Non-Surgical Way t…

Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model to detect the spread of metastatic brain cancer using MRI scans, offering insights into patients’ cancer without aggressive surgery. The proof-of-concept study, co-led...

New Study Reveals AI's Transformati…

Intensive care units (ICUs) face mounting pressure to effectively manage resources while delivering optimal patient care. Groundbreaking research published in the INFORMS journal Information Systems Research highlights how a novel...

One of the Largest Global Surveys of Soc…

As leaders gather for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025 in Davos, Leaps by Bayer, the impact investing arm of Bayer, and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) announced the launch...

New Computer Models Open Door to Far Mor…

With antibiotic resistance a growing problem, University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have developed cutting-edge computer models that could give the disease-fighting drugs a laser-like precision to target only...

New Biomarkers to Detect Colorectal Canc…

Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques and analysis of large datasets have helped University of Birmingham researchers to discover proteins that have strong predictive potential for colorectal cancer. In a...

Sam Neville Joins the Highland Marketing…

Leading chief nursing information officer Sam Neville is joining the Highland Marketing advisory board. Sam brings a passion for nursing and safety to the board, which debates the big issues...

AI Model Identifies Potential Risk Genes…

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic Genome Center have successfully applied advanced artificial intelligence (AI) genetics models to Parkinson's disease. Researchers identified genetic factors in progression and FDA-approved drugs that can...

AI Tool that may Assist Underserved Hosp…

As the fields of healthcare and technology increasingly evolve and intersect, researchers are collaborating on the best ways to use emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to care for...