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Proportion of primary care practices using electronic medical records, 2021: 100%

Source: OECD (2023), Health at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, doi.org/10.1787/7a7afb35-en.

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“The Danish health care system is, to a very high degree, based on digital solutions used by health care providers, citizens and institutions. All primary care doctors have and use electronic medical records. Since 2004, primary care doctors have been mandated to use computers and a system for electronic medical records and communication. The Danish Health Care Data Network (MedCom) developed the system. It allows for the management of medication lists, clinical progress notes, viewing diagnostic images and laboratory test results, and sending reminders to patients. Primary care doctors are connected to specialists, pharmacies, laboratories and hospitals via clinical messaging systems. This allows for medical prescriptions and referrals to hospitals and specialists to be sent and received electronically. Virtually all clinical communication between primary and secondary care is exchanged electronically through this messaging system.”

Source: Birk HO, Vrangbæk K, Rudkjøbing A, Krasnik A, Eriksen A, Richardson E, Smith Jervelund S. Denmark: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2024; 26(1): i–152.

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“Whereas in-person GP consultations decreased slightly from 20.1 million consultations in 2011 to 17.4 million in 2020, the amount and share of GP email consultations increased from 2.8 million to 9.2 million in the same period at an average annual increase of 12%. At the same time, telephone consultations decreased from 13.4 million to 8.6 million (PLO, 2021). Since March 2020 and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of video solutions in general practice has improved access to general practice. With the General Practice agreement, which entered into force on 1 January 2022, it was decided to introduce video consultation as a permanent consultation option. The video function is technically available in all medical practice systems today, and many general practices use this application. Approximately 1570 of 2000 practices offer video consultations (PLO, 2022a). The General Practice agreement states that all medical practices must offer video consultations for their patients at the latest by the end of the agreement period, on 1 January 2025.”

Source: Birk HO, Vrangbæk K, Rudkjøbing A, Krasnik A, Eriksen A, Richardson E, Smith Jervelund S. Denmark: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2024; 26(1): i–152.

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“Internet use for health matters is increasing in all adult age groups. Six out of 10 Internet users between the ages of 75 and 89 have used the Internet to see, for example, test results, doctor’s appointments or other information in their E-journal, Health record (Sundhedsjournal) or Medicine card (Medicinkort). Those aged 35–54 years are the most intensive users of online health data services, with nine out of 10 having seen health-related information online in 2021 (Danmarks Statistik, 2022a).

“The Danish E-Health Portal, Sundhed.dk, and the corresponding MinSundhed app, is a joint public service established in 2003 and maintained by the Ministry of Health, Danish Regions and Local Government Denmark. The portal allows patients to access data about their health (i.e. medical records, test results, medications, appointments, etc.) and information about health care providers and waiting times. Through sundhed. dk, patients can also access video consultations. The MinSundhed app was downloaded more than 5 million times as of July 2022. Patients login via unique personal signatures, and health professionals via their professional digital login. All views are logged, and unjustified use is a privacy violation and can be punished. On the Minlæge app, which had more than 1.5 million active users as of July 2022, users can correspond with their GP, request repeat prescriptions, book appointments, have video consultations and access information about vaccinations, referrals, diagnoses and disease management plans.”

Source: Birk HO, Vrangbæk K, Rudkjøbing A, Krasnik A, Eriksen A, Richardson E, Smith Jervelund S. Denmark: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2024; 26(1): i–152.

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“Denmark has a world-class health information technology infrastructure, which played a significant role in management of the COVID-19 pandemic. National exchange of data is possible through electronic medical records that are accessible to individuals and health professionals at all levels. The system facilitates digital referrals, prescriptions and visits, as well as access to laboratory test results. Providers can also use the national online health information portal to communicate with other providers regarding referrals, discharges and prescriptions. Unique electronic personal identifiers are used to connect data across registries and databases.

“During COVID-19, this infrastructure made real-time epidemiological surveillance possible. Denmark is one of only six countries in Europe that make health care data readily and securely available to the research community through real-time remote access services or a research data centre. The Danish Health Data Authority, a subdivision of the Ministry of Health established in 2015, provides access to health data related to service, quality, utilisation and clinical registries for clinicians, the public and researchers. In March 2021, a unified data portal was launched to strengthen access to health data for researchers. Several features of the Danish health information system therefore complement the European Health Data Space initiative, which aims to promote better exchange of and access to health data for research and policy purposes (European Commission, 2021b).”

Source: OECD/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2021), Denmark: Country Health Profile 2021, State of Health in the EU, OECD Publishing, Paris/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels.

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“Embedding patient-reported information in the care process is high on the policy agenda. In 2017, Denmark launched a comprehensive national programme to foster nationwide implementation of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). A national steering group was created to support the standardisation of PROMs across all sectors in the health care system and to support their use in daily clinical practice and for quality improvement. A secretariat was also set up to carry on the operational work of establishing and maintaining terminology, establishing a bank of questionnaires, developing guidelines for standardised use of PROMs, supporting adoption of international PROMs, and sharing knowledge about PROMs.

“In primary care, Danish GPs can use an electronic data platform (called Web-Patient) to access data uploaded by patients, including measurements taken at home and PROMs. This tool fosters ongoing monitoring and dialogue during consultations.

“In hospital care, PROMs have been embedded in a number of clinical registries, including those for rheumatology, urology, gynaecology, obstetrics, different types of cancer (prostate and lung) and palliative care. In 2019, a new initiative was launched to create a national set of PROMs for patients with mental illnesses (such as depression and schizophrenia) and epilepsy for national use.”

Source: OECD/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2019), Denmark: Country Health Profile 2019, State of Health in the EU, OECD Publishing, Paris/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels.

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World Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems and policies in the US and sixteen other nations.

Page last updated April 22, 2025 by Doug McVay, Editor.