Platform4Health.Ruhr: A Project for Improving Healthcare Access in the Ruhr Region with an interactive Navigation and Information Platform

Navigating the German healthcare system and accessing health information is becoming increasingly complex. Tools are needed to enable people to navigate structures and services despite differences in vulnerability, resources, and capabilities. We propose a stepwise approach to design and implement a platform that enables people with diverse needs to independently and autonomously access information on the German healthcare system in general, as well as on topics related to prevention, health promotion and health care services. In this work, we propose a concept that consists of a hybrid methodology of requirements engineering and agile development. The proposed process guides through the planning and realization of a tool that provides personalized responses to health-related queries and to regionally contextualized services, that gives people in the Ruhr area the opportunity to access appropriate healthcare services despite communication, cultural, and mobility-related barriers.