Sharing of health data is expanding in Portugal: SNS doctors can see the patient's diagnosis, medication, vaccination and examinations

Digital integration to make patients' clinical information accessible across different healthcare units is expanding in Portugal's public healthcare system.

According to the information provided by the Serviços Partilhados do Ministério da Saúde (SPMS) affiliated with the Ministry of Health, SNS doctors can now access various clinical data, including their patients' diagnoses, medications they use, vaccination information and examinations.

The system aims to enable the doctor to see information about the services a patient receives in different healthcare institutions, thus providing a more integrated healthcare service.

But the whole SNS system is not fully integrated

The important detail here is that a completely unified system in Portugal, where all health information can be seen completely from every institution, has not yet been completed.

While SPMS expands the infrastructure that enables the sharing of clinical information, interoperability efforts between different institutions and information systems continue.

Therefore, it is not correct to interpret the new development as "all patient files in Portugal are now in a single system".

Registo de Saúde Eletrónico (RSE) has long been a key part of the infrastructure for sharing important patient clinical information among healthcare professionals. The system has previously been used to record prescriptions, test results, contacts in health institutions and various other records. It allowed viewing.

New integration efforts focus on making this information more usable and accessible to healthcare professionals.

The aim is to reduce unnecessary repetition of the same examinations.

It is important that the patient's previous diagnosis and examinations can be seen by the doctor, especially in cases where the patient moves between different hospitals or health centers.

Broader data access can help the doctor view current treatment and historical health information, reduce unnecessary duplication, and make more informed clinical decisions.

Portugal is also involved in infrastructures for cross-border sharing of health data across Europe.

However, since health data is special personal data, it continues to be subject to access, authorization and data protection rules.

Resources

Renascença / SPMS, 18 September 2026

https://rr.pt/noticia/pais/2026/09/18/medicos-ja-podem-consultar-diagnosticos-medicacao-vacinas-e-exames-no-sns/486009/

Serviços Partilhados do Ministério da Saúde — Registo de Saúde Eletrónico

https://www.spms.min-saude.pt/2020/01/registo-de-saude-eletronico-area-do-profissional-disponivel-nos-setores-privado-e-social/