As of November 1, healthcare users and providers can go to the PGO information point. This PGO information point is provided by the Digital Care Helpdesk and is a collaboration between the Netherlands Patient Federation and the MedMij Foundation. The original assignment for a PGO information point came from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. That assignment was: 'Create a national PGO information point for healthcare providers, citizens/patients and possibly project leaders.

More and more Dutch people are using a personal health environment, a PHE. But there are people who need guidance with this. Or who have specific questions about PHEs, their safety and finding their healthcare provider. And there are healthcare providers who would like answers to healthcare-specific questions about the PGO. The national PGO information point provides this. One million medical data have already been requested in a PHE with the MedMij label and no fewer than 1,000 new PHE users are added every day. All these people can go to the PGO information point, which can be reached by telephone, email and chat as of November 1: www.helpdeskdigitalezorg.nl/pgo

Accessible and service-oriented

Started before summer MedMij Foundation and Patient Federation Netherlands on a small scale with an information point by email. The desire soon arose to expand the information point with the option of telephone contact and the option to chat. That is why the collaboration with the Digital Care Helpdesk was established.

About PGOs

PGO is the abbreviation for personal health environment. It is an app or website where you can retrieve a copy of your medical data for free. You can often also add health data that you measure yourself. There are several PGOs to choose from. Not everything is possible yet and not all healthcare providers are connected yet, but more and more are becoming available. With a PHE with the MedMij label, data about your health is in one place. This way you get more control over your health.

Arthur Schellekens, director of the Patient Federation of the Netherlands:

“With a PGO, people will soon have all their medical data together. This gives you more control over your health and control over your medical data. But PGOs are still in full development and not everything is possible yet. For example, we notice that the user-friendliness leaves a lot to be desired due to the strict safety requirements. It is quite complicated for a large group of people to start using a PBL and they need help with this. The PGO information point helps people get started and is in good hands with the Digital Care Helpdesk.”

Marc van Dijk, director of the MedMij Foundation:

“PGO use is increasing and with it the questions we receive from healthcare providers and healthcare users. Questions about retrieving medical data via DigiD, about safety and about what exactly MedMij does. From now on, people can contact one helpdesk by telephone, email and chat, namely the PGO information point. Anyone who has questions or needs guidance in retrieving data in PGOs will be heard and helped. It is very nice that we started this information point together with the Patient Federation and found the perfect party for its implementation. Digital Care Helpdesk has a lot of experience and knows better than anyone else how to answer questions about digital care – for healthcare providers and users.”

Merlijne Sonneveld, founder and director of Helpdesk Digital Care:

“The goal of PGOs to support people with their digital care fits seamlessly with our mission. We already support patients and clients of more than 20 Dutch healthcare institutions and are pleased to now also use our experience and knowledge for anyone who has questions about PGOs. Our team is ready to assist these healthcare users and healthcare providers, with expert knowledge and a lot of patience for a clear explanation!”

Accessibility of PGO information point

The PGO information point can be reached via 085-3034959 on working days between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. If someone calls outside these hours, they will be called back the next working day. On www.helpdeskdigitalezorg.nl/pgo the most frequently asked questions about PGOs and contact details are listed in one overview.