Digital Expert Week announces initiative 'ePA for All'/ Team Rheuma shares details on the digital patient record system
The electronic patient record (ePA) is a digital health record that stores sensitive health data such as diagnoses, findings, doctor's reports, and medications. It aims to provide a comprehensive and secure platform for managing patient health data, enhancing care coordination and patient safety.
Understanding the ePA
While the ePA offers numerous benefits, it is essential to understand its workings and potential implications. For those who are new to the concept, the German Rheuma-Liga provides detailed information on how the ePA works [1].
The Role of the German Rheuma-Liga
The German Rheuma-Liga has been at the forefront of advocating for the interests of people with rheumatic diseases for over 50 years. As the largest self-help organization in the German healthcare sector with approximately 260,000 members, it plays a crucial role in providing information, practical assistance, and support to affected individuals [2].
Although specific details about the German Rheuma-Liga's activities related to ePA are not readily available, the organization has been actively involved in pre-selecting quality indicators for osteoarthritis management [2].
The Expert Week on ePA: A Learning Opportunity
To address the questions and concerns surrounding the ePA, the German Rheuma-Liga is hosting an expert week on "Team Rheuma" from August 18 to 22, 2025. This event is open for individual follow-up questions and will feature experts from self-help, health politics, and digital policy [3].
Participants include Gerlinde Bendzuck, Digital Expert and Vice President of the German Rheuma-Liga Federal Association, Sabine Eis, Health and Social Policy Specialist of the German Rheuma-Liga Federal Association, Jana Hassel, Digital Policy Specialist of BAG SELBSTHILFE, and Oliver Pfleiderer, Chairman of the State Working Group for Self-Help Rhineland-Palatinate [4].
Interested individuals can register for this event for free on the platform www.team-rheuma.de. For more information about the expert week, visit www.rheuma-liga.de/aktuelles/detailansicht/alle-infos-zur-expertenwoche-der-deutschen-rheuma-liga.
Accessing the ePA
Patients can access their ePA via an app. However, those who do not use a smartphone have limited access to their data. It is essential to ensure that all individuals, regardless of their technological capabilities, can access and manage their health data effectively [5].
For those who wish to learn more about the ePA, explore related events and webinars. For example, the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Freien Wohlfahrtspflege (BAGFW) is hosting an online event about the ePA in July 2025, which focuses on its role and potential in the care sector [6].
[1] German Rheuma-Liga: How the ePA works
[2] German Rheuma-Liga: Pre-selecting quality indicators for osteoarthritis management
[3] German Rheuma-Liga: All information about the expert week
[4] German Rheuma-Liga: Expert week participants
[5] German Rheuma-Liga: ePA for everyone
[6] BAGFW: ePA event
- The electronic patient record (ePA) stores various health data, enhancing care coordination and patient safety.
- The German Rheuma-Liga is a crucial self-help organization providing information, assistance, and support to those with rheumatic diseases.
- The German Rheuma-Liga has been advocating for patients with rheumatic diseases for over 50 years.
- Approximately 260,000 people receive support from the German Rheuma-Liga.
- Although details about the German Rheuma-Liga's ePA activities are scarce, it has pre-selected quality indicators for osteoarthritis management.
- From August 18 to 22, 2025, the German Rheuma-Liga is hosting an expert week on "Team Rheuma" to address ePA questions and concerns.
- Gerlinde Bendzuck, Digital Expert and Vice President of the German Rheuma-Liga Federal Association, will participate in the expert week.
- Sabine Eis, Health and Social Policy Specialist of the German Rheuma-Liga Federal Association, is also a participant in the expert week.
- Jana Hassel, Digital Policy Specialist of BAG SELBSTHILFE, will be part of the expert week.
- Oliver Pfleiderer, Chairman of the State Working Group for Self-Help Rhineland-Palatinate, is another participant in the expert week.
- Interested individuals can register for the expert week on the platform www.team-rheuma.de.
- More information about the expert week is available at www.rheuma-liga.de/aktuelles/detailansicht/alle-infos-zur-expertenwoche-der-deutschen-rheuma-liga.
- Patients can access their ePA via an app, but those without smartphones face limited access.
- Ensuring all individuals can access and manage their health data effectively is essential.
- Those who wish to learn more about the ePA can explore related events and webinars.
- In July 2025, the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Freien Wohlfahrtspflege (BAGFW) is hosting an online event about the ePA in the care sector.
- The ePA offers numerous benefits to medical-conditions, chronic-diseases, cancer, respiratory-conditions, digestive-health, eye-health, hearing, and skin-conditions management.
- Health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, and mental-health are also impacted by the ePA.
- Frequently, men's health, women's health, and autoimmune-disorders are addressed by the ePA.
- Climate-change, environmental-science, finance, and rural health are inconclusive topics related to the ePA's impact.
- cybersecurity, lifestyle, fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, investing, wealth-management, home-and-garden, and business are not directly related to the ePA.
- However, the ePA may indirectly influence personal-finance through increased awareness and attention to medical expenses.
- The ePA also provides opportunities for the industry, such as medical, IT, and finance, to develop new solutions and services.
- Medicare, cbd, neurological-disorders, and space-and-astronomy have minimal connections to the ePA.
- However, advancements in technologies like artificial-intelligence and data-and-cloud-computing may impact the ePA's efficiency and capacity.
- Relationships, pets, travel, cars, books, and social-media are not linked to the ePA's functioning.
- Despite these connections, music, movies-and-tv, and entertainment remain tangential to the ePA's role in healthcare.
- The ePA is not involved in weight-management or cardiovascular-health, but these areas can benefit from improved access to health data and coordination.
