User advice

Content

This page explains the features and user applications found on this website. There are various ways to navigate between the portal pages, such as using the search function or the main navigation. Informative services are provided that help you find reliable information about health issues.

In addition, several user functions such as “Bookmark” or the user settings under “Display Format” can help you better tailor the information on the portal to your needs.

Many of these practical functions use cookies. If you have disabled cookies, they can be customized in the Privacy Policy.

Search

A search field can be found on the homepage and in the header area of every page.

Enter one or more search terms in the search box provided (e.g. at the top right edge of the web page). The hits will be displayed in a separate results view.

The search results are based on the content provided on gesund.bund.de.
A maximum of ten results are displayed on the first page. You can access further results by clicking the page numbers at the bottom of the list. These show the number of pages of search results available.

If you do not get any hits for your search query, this may mean that there is not yet any content on the topic you are looking for. New content is being added all the time. You should also check your search query for typos as these can also prevent hits from being shown.

ICD code search

Would you like to find the diagnostic breakdown of a specific ICD code? Then simply enter the relevant search term (e.g. diabetes) or an ICD-10 code (e.g. A00 or A00.1) in the ICD code search function.  You can also use any other search field on the portal to query an ICD code.

The results page suggests articles related to the search term or ICD code. Even if no article is yet available for the ICD code you entered, an ICD code page will be shown that lists the coding for the diagnosis code.

ICD code details in the articles about conditions: some articles about conditions may contain multiple ICD codes as the description of a clinical picture can potentially apply to several related medical indications expressed by an ICD code.

Navigation

All the portal’s pages follow a uniform structure. The navigation in the page headers and footers and the content are separate areas.

You can navigate using either the main navigation at the top of each page or the navigation at the bottom of each page (footer navigation).

The header contains the main navigation for all health information provided on gesund.bund.de. The meta navigation at the top of the page can be used to configure specific user settings in relation to the display format. This includes changing the font size for the text or choosing an alternative color scheme, for example. You can also find information in sign language and simple language as well as the “Bookmark list” area.

When using the main navigation, a sub-menu (flyout) appears when you click on a menu item. This enables you to directly click on the topic you are interested in. The flyout menu pools topic-related articles.

You can also use our search function. Further information on this can be found under the “Search” section of this text.

On the article pages, the navigation in the right sidebar takes you to the individual sections of the article.

At the bottom of each article page, you will find a “Back to top” button, which takes you straight back to the start of the page.

Bookmark function and Bookmark list

To use this feature, the appropriate cookie must be enabled in the Privacy Policy.

The “Bookmark” function can be found in the health information provided by gesund.bund.de. The button for bookmarking an article is located directly below the article header.

The list of all “bookmarked” article pages can be accessed via the navigation point “Bookmark list” in the page header.

The saved articles can also be individually deleted from this same place.

Display format

In the new versions of Microsoft Edge, you can customize the text display format by selecting “Settings and more” > “Settings” > “Appearance” in the address bar and adapting the text size, text spacing and page design to your personal preferences. Alternatively, you can click “Settings and more” and then select “Zoom”.

In Firefox, you can modify the font size by clicking “Open Application Menu” and using the “Zoom” function to zoom in or out. In Chrome, the same function can be found under “Customize and control Google Chrome” or by pressing the shortcut Ctrl + or Ctrl -.

Color scheme

To use this function, the relevant cookie must be enabled in the privacy policy.

The Display format page can be used to set the color scheme for the entire website to “dark mode”.

The legibility and perception of websites differ from one user to the next. For many, image and text content in dark font on a light background look very clear. However, images on a dark background place less strain on tired or sensitive eyes. In “dark mode”, content is therefore displayed in a light font color on a dark background.

Accessibility

The Federal Ministry of Health is committed to making the website gesund.bund.de accessible to all. The legal bases for this are the current versions of the German Disabled Persons Equality Act (BGG) and the Regulation on Accessible Information Technology (BITV 2.0).

Further information can be found in the Accessibility statement. If, when visiting the portal, you notice any accessibility barriers that are not listed on this page, please do not hesitate to report them using our feedback form.

Read out loud function

To use this function, the relevant cookie must be enabled in the Privacy Policy.

You can have content on the article pages read out loud with the aid of ReadSpeaker webReader. With just one click, the text on a page is simultaneously read out loud and highlighted so that you can easily follow it – regardless of where you are and what end device you are using. This makes content more accessible and visiting the website an interactive experience. You do not need to download anything to use this function.

The audio player is integrated into most article pages. You can activate or pause the “Read out loud” function by clicking the Play button directly below the heading.

The following are also possible when using ReadSpeaker webReader:

Select the text, click Play, and have it read out in the pop-up window that opens.
Move the mouse cursor over a paragraph in the text to have this automatically read out loud.
Download an audio version of your content so that you can also listen to it offline.
Translate a selected text into multiple languages and have the translated text read out.
Adjust the reading speed, the text highlighting colors, and many other settings to your personal preferences.
Select a word and look up its meaning in the dictionary.
The help tool can be found in the toolbar. This provides clear instructions on how to use each of the webReader functions.

Videos

Videos that provide brief information in the form of animated films are embedded into many articles. The fully accessible HTML player from Aktion Mensch is used for the videos and subtitles can be displayed on all videos.

Topic specials and scrollytelling format

Web technologies that enable animated images to be played as you scroll down a page are used for topic specials like the 3D page on coronavirus.

This special format is also supplemented by the integration of 360° videos. The video is played by clicking the Play button as usual. However, you can also navigate the video around by 360° with the mouse (on a computer screen) or your finger (on a smartphone).

An up-to-date browser version is required to use these technologies without issue.

Print function

The website content is print optimized. Please use your browser’s print function. You can access this by using the shortcut Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac).