Who it’s for and what people take away
Adults who want to use online health services with more confidence, including people new to smartphones, and family members or carers who help them.
By the end, people can:
- explain what a patient portal is and what it is usually used for.
- list the steps to set up a portal account safely, including a strong password and two-step sign-in.
- prepare for and join a video appointment, and ask for alternatives they need.
- spot common signs of a health-related scam and know where to report one.
Before the session
- Read this whole kit and the country handout for where you are teaching, and open each official link once.
- Print one handout (with the right country block) and one worksheet per person, plus a few spares.
- Make the paper portal mock-up: draw or print a single page that looks like a simple portal home screen, with boxes labelled Messages, Appointments, Test results, Medicines, Documents, Profile and settings, and Sign out. Use no logo or brand name. One copy per pair.
- Print the three practice messages from slide 11 on separate cards, one set per pair, or show them on screen only.
- If you want to demonstrate a video call, use a test call or a call with a colleague on your own device. Never sign in to a real health account in the room, yours or anyone else’s.
- Tell the host that attendees will not need to log in to anything, and that they should not bring passwords or account details.
You will need
- Projector or large screen with the slides
- Printed handouts with the country block for where you are teaching
- Printed worksheets and pens
- Paper portal mock-ups, one per pair
- Practice message cards, one set per pair (optional)
Run sheet
60 minutes. Slide numbers refer to the deck.
Session timings| Starts | Length | What happens |
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| 0:00 | 5 min | Welcome and ground rulesSlides 1–2Introduce yourself and Moraph for Good. Explain that nobody will log in to anything today and that you will never ask for a password, account or health detail.Say: “We will practise on paper, not on real accounts. Please keep your passwords to yourself today and every day.” |
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| 0:05 | 8 min | What a portal is forSlides 3–4Explain what a patient portal is and the common things people use it for. Ask who has used one and what for, without asking about their health.Say: “A portal is a secure website or app run by your clinic, hospital or health service. What you can do in it depends on the provider.” |
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| 0:13 | 10 min | Setting up safelySlides 5–6Walk through the setup steps: an invitation or sign-up from the provider, proving who you are, a strong unique password, two-step sign-in, and family or carer access.Say: “Set it up when you are well and have time, not on the day you need a result.” |
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| 0:23 | 15 min | Activity: paper portal and scam checkSlides 7–11Run the two-part activity in pairs: a tour of the paper portal, then the practice messages. Walk around and help.Say: “Nothing here is real. This is practice for where to look and what to question.” |
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| 0:38 | 10 min | Video appointmentsSlides 12–13Cover preparing for a video appointment and asking for what you need. If you prepared one, show a short test call on your own device.Say: “Test the link before the day, find a private spot, and have your questions and your list of medicines ready.” |
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| 0:48 | 7 min | Scam rules and your handoutSlides 14–15Recap the scam rules and walk through the country block: the official portal or account where one exists, and where to report a scam.Say: “If a message makes you hurry, stop. Call back on a number you already have.” |
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| 0:55 | 5 min | Questions and closeSlides 16Take questions using the common questions in this kit. Remind people not to share passwords with anyone, including helpers.Say: “If you get stuck setting up a portal, the clinic’s front desk or help line is the right place to ask.” |
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Paper portal tour and scam check
15 minutes, using the worksheet.
- Hand each pair a paper portal mock-up. Ask them to find where they would: send a question to the clinic, check an appointment time, see a test result, ask for a repeat prescription, and sign out. Give six minutes.
- Ask pairs to circle anything on the mock-up they would want help with, and to note it on worksheet exercise 1.
- Show slide 11 or hand out the three practice message cards. Give six minutes for pairs to decide, for each one, whether it looks safe or suspicious, and why.
- Bring the room back together. Go through each message using the debrief questions and the notes on slide 11.
Questions for the room afterwards
- Which part of the portal would you use first, and which part would you need help with?
- What made a message look suspicious: the hurry, the request for details, the link, or the way it asked for payment?
- If you weren’t sure about a message, what number or website would you use to check it?
Take care
General information, never advice about one person’s situation, and nothing to sell.
- Never let anyone log in to a real portal, email or health account during the session, and never handle anyone’s phone while it is signed in to one.
- Never ask for or look at passwords, account numbers, health numbers or test results.
- Never interpret a test result or message from a clinician. Say that the clinic is the right place to ask.
- Don’t name, recommend or criticize any portal product, video calling app or company. Government services named in the country block are fine.
- Don’t install anything on an attendee’s device. If someone wants help setting up a real account, suggest they ask their clinic or a trusted person at home.
Questions people ask
Is a portal safe?
Portals run by health providers use secure sign-in, and you can make your own account safer with a strong password you don’t use anywhere else and two-step sign-in where it is offered. Be careful with messages that claim to come from your portal; go to it directly rather than through a link.
Can my son or daughter manage my portal for me?
Many providers and public services offer family or carer access, so someone can help without using your login. Ask your provider how to set it up. Don’t share your password, even with family.
A result appeared in my portal and nobody has called me. What should I do?
Results can appear before a clinician has discussed them with you. If a result worries you, call the clinic rather than searching online. We can’t interpret results in this session.
What if I don’t have a smartphone or I can’t do video?
Ask the clinic what else they offer. Many can do a phone appointment or an in-person visit, and many portals also work on a computer, including one at a library.
Someone called saying they were from my health service and asked for my number. Was that real?
It might not be. Hang up and call back on a number you already have, such as the one on your card, a letter, or the official website. The country block lists where to report a scam.
Where you are teaching
The rules differ by country. Teach the shared material from the slides, then use the block for the country you are in, and hand out that country’s sheet.
United States
- Patient portals. Many providers offer an online patient portal, a secure website where patients can often make appointments, contact their provider and look at lab results. Checking your provider’s portal is a good first step to getting your health information.
- Government health accounts. Medicare beneficiaries, veterans and active-duty service members can see and download some of their health information through the Blue Button feature in their government health plan or provider’s online patient portal, such as MyMedicare.gov.
- Medicare scams. Medicare will never call you to sell you anything or visit you at your home. Don’t give your Medicare number to anyone except your doctor or people you know should have it, and don’t accept money or gifts in return for free medical care.
- Reporting. If you suspect Medicare fraud, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or report it online through Medicare.gov. A secure Medicare.gov account also lets you check your Original Medicare claims for mistakes.
United Kingdom
- NHS App. The NHS App lets you manage your healthcare online in England. You can use it on a phone or tablet, or log in through the NHS website on a computer without downloading anything. You must be 13 or over and registered with a GP surgery in England.
- Proving who you are. To get full access you need to prove who you are, using photo ID or your GP surgery’s online services registration details. With full access you can request repeat prescriptions, book or cancel GP appointments and see test results. What you can see depends on your GP surgery.
- Logging in safely. You log in with your NHS login: an email address and password plus a security code sent to your phone, or face or fingerprint login, or a passkey. The NHS App also offers family and carer access for people you help.
- Test results. You may see results your healthcare professional has not yet discussed with you. The NHS says to contact your GP if you have concerns.
- Reporting scam emails. Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk, the National Cyber Security Centre’s reporting service.
Canada
- Portals vary by province. Personal health information in Canada falls under different federal, provincial or territorial privacy laws depending on who holds it. If you have a concern about how a portal or provider handles your health information, start with that organization, then your provincial or territorial privacy authority.
- Multi-factor authentication. The Government of Canada’s Get Cyber Safe advises turning on multi-factor authentication whenever a website, app or device allows it. It adds an extra step to signing in, so a stolen password alone isn’t enough.
- Reporting fraud. If you are a victim of fraud or cybercrime, contact your local police as soon as possible. Victims and witnesses can also report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online, anonymously if they wish.
Australia
- My Health Record. My Health Record is an online summary of your health information, such as medicines, allergies and medical history, run by the Australian Digital Health Agency. You access it by signing in to myGov and linking it to your My Health Record.
- Controls and alerts. You can set access controls, check the access history, and ask for an email or text when, for example, a provider opens your record for the first time or someone new is able to access it.
- Family and carers. You can make a family member or carer a nominated representative and choose what they can see. From age 14 you control your own My Health Record.
- Help and advice. The My Health Record help line is 1800 723 471. healthdirect is a free, government-funded health advice service; its nurses on 1800 022 222 can help you work out where to go and may offer a call back or a video call from a GP.