Ingvild Hatlevoll

Ph. D. candidate in Medicine and Health Sciences at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology


Hatlevoll is a Ph.D. student in Medicine and Health Sciences at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Her research focuses on how digitalization can be used to improve health services, and her PhD-project will assess how patient portals can improve care for patients with cancer. She is a medical doctor from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Her professional interests include digitalization of health care services, working conditions for healthcare workers and quality and equality in health care.

Tell us about your project!

As the society, including the healthcare sector, is increasingly digitalized there is a growing need for innovative digital tools and technologies, such as different eHealth solutions. At the same time it is important to ensure up-to-date knowledge on their effects and impact. My PhD-project will investigate how digital healthcare, specifically patient portals, can be used to improve care for patients with cancer. A patient portal is a digital health tool accessible to patients through a website or an app with secure access to health information and care services such as lab results, clinical notes and communication with healthcare providers. Patient portals hold potential for improving patient involvement and health care quality. Still there has been limited evaluation of the use of patient portals among cancer patients. Through a mixed methods approach including patients and health care professionals my project aims to increasing knowledge about the use and impact of a patient portal in patient pathways for breast and prostate cancer.

“My PhD-project will investigate how digital healthcare, specifically patient portals, can be used to improve care for patients with cancer.”

— Ingvild Hatlevoll on her Ph. D project “The 4P-project: Patient Portals in Patient Pathways”