100 days after its nationwide introduction on April 29, 2025, the electronic patient record (ePA) is making slow progress in terms of acceptance in Germany. According to a dpa survey of the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), the Allgemeine Ortskrankenkassen (AOK) and Barmer, only 1.2 million of 44 million people with statutory health insurance actively use their ePA. A representative Civey survey commissioned by Pharma Deutschland confirms this trend: In eastern Germany, around 72 percent of respondents are aware of the ePA, a figure that has remained unchanged since April. The share of active users has risen from 11.9 to 15.9 percent in the last 100 days, but remains low.

Within eastern Germany, there are regional differences: Thuringia has the lowest use at 11.3 percent, followed by Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (14.1 percent) and Saxony-Anhalt (15.7 percent). At 16 percent, Berlin is just below the national average of 16.2 percent, while Saxony (17.6 percent) and Brandenburg (18 percent) exceed it. With 15.9 percent, the East State Association is in second place behind the North State Association (17 percent).

Pharma Deutschland identifies hurdles such as complicated registration processes, technical problems and lack of information as the main reasons for the low use. Many insured persons are also not yet familiar with digital health applications and show uncertainties. The Landesverband Ost emphasizes the need to communicate the practical benefits of the ePA more strongly in order to close the gap between awareness and use. A continuous supply of information is crucial to illustrate the added value – such as the avoidance of duplicate examinations, relief for medical practices and more transparency for patients.

The ePA is considered the key to the digitization of the German healthcare system. In the long term, it is intended to make care more efficient and individual by centralising and networking health data. Pharma Deutschland calls for patient-oriented further development in order to better integrate care, prevention and research. The survey, conducted from July 1 to 31, 2025 with 5,000 respondents, is representative of the German population aged 18 and over (statistical error: 2.5 percent).

Read Also:

German AIDS Aid criticizes launch of the electronic patient record – MedLabPortal

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

Gender Notice. The personal designations used in this text always refer equally to female, male and diverse persons. Double/triple naming and gendered designations are used for better readability. ected.