Information and advice keys to good Web sites
Include who, what, when, where, and why
In developing the content of your Internet Web site, remember the "5 Ws" of journalism — who, what, when, where, and why — and build your content accordingly, advises Douglas Munn, systems consultant for Superior Consultant Co. Inc. of Southfield, IN. Since the purpose of a Web page is to market your practice and inform your patients, you should include information that does both, he says.
Your Internet site can help patients get information on a particular practice, understand the types of specialties offered, and have questions ready when they come in for a visit.
Before you begin, decide what you want your Web site to do for your practice, then list the content you want it to include. (See chart on p. 21.) Understand the types of questions your patients ask you every day. Identify the top 10 types of information that would better prepare patients and help cut down on the work involved in manage their care, adds Peter Zazzara, executive director for Superior Consultant Co.
You don’t necessarily have to develop a lot of content yourself, Munn points out. You can easily get a license to link with commercial medical sites, organizations, or disease information sties.
If you are a specialty practice, include links to sites regarding your specialty associations, he suggests. If you have a lot of patients in a certain category, you should visit Web sites that provide information on the particular condition or disease and check them out.
Include links on you site to the ones you find useful and informative. That way, you can be sure that your patients are getting the correct information.
"The whole premise of this section is to allow the physician to become the primary source of information for the patient instead of the patient going out and getting information that may or may not be relevant to the condition and may or may not be accurate," says Jerry Kelly. Kelly is executive vice president for physician sales and marketing for Salu.net, a Portland, OR, a provider of Internet application services for physicians
Most physician practices opt for a Web site with five to 10 pages, according to Michael Levine, MD, of Stuart, FL, co-founder of MD Web, a company that specializes in creating physician Web sites. Physicians are asked to provide the content. "This is where my company is strong. If they don’t have it all together, we can do it. We are doctors, and we are good at putting information together," he adds.
Levine says many doctors are too busy to put their Web page information together. In that case, he asks them to send photographs, biographies, any medical information sheets or brochures they have, and MD Web puts the page together.
If you have the resources and time to update your site regularly, consider including information that changes regularly. For instance, you might include reminders to schedule back-to-school checkups or flu shots.
A family practice might include immunization schedules showing what kids need at different grades in school or dates of upcoming health fairs. "The county health department is a good source for this kind of information. They love to share it," Munn says. However, he warns, if you have time-dated material, make sure it is current. "Nothing kills interest faster than for a patient to read in October about an event that happened last August."
Munn and other Web page experts recommend that you include these items on your site:
r Personal information and photographs of every person on your staff, including the medical staff, the technical staff, and office workers.
He recommends including trivia about staff members, such as hobbies and hometown, as well as educational and professional credentials. This information can help make patients feel more comfortable with you and your staff, he adds. For instance, if your nurse raises horses and a nervous patient is interested in animals, they have a common bond to discuss that will take the patient’s mind off the treatment. "The more of this kind of information you have, the more likely you are to establish common ground with your patients." He recommends humorous touches to the pages, such as a medical school photo of a physician who sported a 70s hairdo. "People really respond well to funny, cutesy, nonmedical stuff," he adds.
- Your office address, office hours, and a photo of the facility. Directions on how to get to your office.
For this segment of your Web page, Munn suggests interactive maps, which allow patients to type in an address and get driving directions to your office turn by turn. "People are hooked on interactive maps. It will cut down on the telephone calls asking for directions. The maps are available from commercial map services, he adds.
- Your philosophy of practice.
- Information about the health plans you accept.
- A list of hospitals where you practice.
- Medical information and links to other sites.
Many physicians complain that their patients come to their offices armed with misinformation they gathered from the Internet. This is your chance to point them in the right direction, points out Zazzara.
Subscribe Now for Access
You have reached your article limit for the month. We hope you found our articles both enjoyable and insightful. For information on new subscriptions, product trials, alternative billing arrangements or group and site discounts please call 800-688-2421. We look forward to having you as a long-term member of the Relias Media community.