Structuring the sitemap of a health platform is not just about aligning pages in a menu. The information architecture dictates the flow of data between professionals, patients, and third-party systems. With the gradual implementation of the European regulation on the European Health Data Space (EHDS) starting in March 2027, followed by cross-border exchanges planned as early as March 2029, designing an appropriate hierarchy becomes a technical as well as an editorial prerequisite.
Interoperability and sitemap: why the structure dictates data exchanges
Most guides on creating medical websites treat the sitemap as an editorial exercise. Pages are classified by specialty, a contact form is added, and then the design phase begins. This approach overlooks a structuring parameter: interoperability requires a functional organization of content.
A platform exchanging documents with Mon espace santé is evaluated on several axes, including urbanization, security, ethics, and GDPR compliance. This means that the sitemap must clearly distinguish between public spaces (general information, care presentation), professional accounts, patient pathways, and document exchange functions.
A concrete example of this logic applied to the mapping of a platform can be seen on the Irist Santé website, where the sections reflect a segmentation by user type and function rather than a simple editorial hierarchy.
Building the sitemap around structured data (FHIR, DICOM standards) rather than PDFs or proprietary forms also prepares the platform for the obligations of the EHDS. Field feedback varies on the actual maturity level of existing platforms in relation to these requirements, but the regulatory direction is clear.
MSSanté in the sitemap: a functional section, not a contact page
Integrating the secure health messaging service (MSSanté) into the hierarchy of a platform deserves specific consideration. Recent recommendations foresee standardized interfaces, sending structured health documents compliant with CI-SIS, automatic integration of received messages into the patient file, and using the Health Directory to select recipients.
MSSanté cannot be reduced to a simple link in the footer. The sitemap should dedicate a distinct functional section to it, with at least:
- A space for sending and receiving structured documents, accessible from the professional dashboard
- A recipient selection system connected to the Health Directory, to avoid addressing errors
- An automatic archiving mechanism that classifies exchanges in the corresponding patient file
Treating MSSanté as an isolated brick, hidden in a “contact” subpage, leads to a loss of traceability of exchanges and complicates care coordination among professionals.
RGAA accessibility and health information architecture
A health platform addresses users whose abilities vary significantly: elderly individuals, patients with disabilities, caregivers who are not very familiar with digital tools. The General Framework for Improving Accessibility (RGAA) imposes criteria that directly influence the structure of the sitemap.
Accessibility is determined from the hierarchy of pages, not at the time of the final audit. A navigation menu that is too deep (more than three levels) penalizes users of screen readers. Ambiguous section titles (“My services,” “My space”) complicate navigation for individuals with cognitive impairments.
Obligations vary according to the size of the organization and its status, but platforms handling health data are subject to a high level of requirement. Several points deserve particular attention when designing the sitemap:
- Each page must have a unique and descriptive title, readable out of context by assistive technology
- Patient pathways (making appointments, viewing results, messaging) must be reachable in a limited number of clicks from the homepage
- Downloadable documents (prescriptions, reports) should be grouped in a dedicated section rather than scattered across multiple sections
Considering these constraints from the design phase of the sitemap prevents costly redesigns once the platform is in production.
Structured data and FHIR standards: what the sitemap must anticipate
The EHDS regulation pushes health platforms towards a model where data is reusable and interoperable by default. This does not only concern internal databases: the sitemap itself must reflect this logic.
Organizing content around FHIR resources (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) means, for example, that the “Patient file” section does not simply contain scanned PDFs. It exposes structured data that can be queried by other authorized systems. Therefore, the sitemap must anticipate stable URLs for each type of resource, rather than dynamic paths that change with each software update.
A stable URL for each type of resource facilitates indexing and interoperability. Care pathways, coordination documents, examination results: each of these elements benefits from occupying an identifiable place in the hierarchy.
Access rights management in the hierarchy
The sitemap of a health platform is not entirely public. Some sections are only visible to authenticated professionals, while others are accessible to connected patients. This segmentation of access rights must be considered from the design of the hierarchy, not added later through technical filters.
Planning a distinct XML sitemap for search engines (public pages only) and a complete internal mapping for process management is a good practice. Confusing public sitemap and internal functional mapping generates security vulnerabilities and indexing issues.
The architecture of a health platform is built at the intersection of constraints rarely found together elsewhere: regulations on personal data, accessibility requirements, technical interoperability between systems, coordination among professionals with varied profiles. The sitemap is not a secondary deliverable to be produced at the end of the project. It is the foundation upon which the platform’s ability to fulfill its primary function rests: to circulate the right information to the right user, at the right time.
