An Investigation of Specifications for Migrating to a Web Portal Framework for the Dissemination of Health Information within a Public Health Network

Web-based technologies provide a framework that facilitates the dissemination of healthcare related information. A portal strategy comprised of six layers has been defined for healthcare. This layered architecture is well suited for employing an iterative approach to development, implementation and deployment of an emerging technology. Planning for Web portal implementation should be seen as a process of building an infrastructure and foundation for the future, not as the development of a single all-encompassing solution. Mapping requirements and specifications for the portal framework to a conceptual target architecture is part of this process. This research paper investigates a model for a healthcare portal framework and the mapping of user specifications of a major public health organization for organizing and structuring information to facilitate a plan of action for moving to an Internet portal strategy.