Hospital Websites Research Articles

Systematic evaluation of the websites: Hospital-based practice

ABSTRACTThe main purpose of this study is to find out the factors affecting the quality of private hospital websites in Turkey. The data were collected from all hospital websites which belonged to private general hospitals, private specialty hospitals, and foundation-university hospitals in Turkey. Within the scope of this study, 519 websites were examined according to the checklist. A total of 45 items related to the quality of hospital websites such as logo, mission, vision, ISO and accreditation, email address, hospital map, departmental info, doctors’ background, insurance info, online appointment, online lab results, patient rights, additional languages, etc. were included in the study. Total scores of website quality were calculated by the total of these 45 items of the websites. Simple linear regression analysis was used to estimate the correlation between the independent factors (Geographical Region, Bed Size, Status of the Hospital, and Regional Development Index of the hospital) and the website quality score. According to the results, hospital bed size and regional development index had a significant role in hospital website quality scores.

Hospital Websites: From the Information Repository to Interactive Channel

The aim of the research is to examine the content of hospital websites in three different countries and assess them as information repository or as an interactive online communication mean. Three countries were selected: candidate (Bosnia-and-Herzegovina), recent (Croatia) and established EU member country (Slovenia). Five dimensions of the hospital websites were analyzed: Technical items, Hospital information and facilities, Admission and medical services, Interactive on-line services and External activities. Results between countries are compared using the Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test. Hospital websites are mostly used as information repositories and less as online communication channels. In addition, the country, which had standardized recommendations issued by the public authority, had more developed hospital websites.

Medical tourism in Japan: an examination of Japan's international hospitals' online communication

This study examines the online information about Japanese hospitals, designated Japan international hospitals by the Japanese government, provided at JAPAN Hospital Search, a government portal site, and the hospital websites in order to explore how these hospitals are presented online and attempt to appeal to the perceived needs of prospective medical tourists. The content of 39 hospital websites are analysed across five dimensions: hospital information and facilities, admissions and medical services, interactive online services, external activities, and technical items. Results show differences in the extent to which the hospitals convey information across the five dimensions. Additionally, the findings reveal inconsistencies between the hospital information presented at JAPAN Hospital Search and the hospital websites. Recommendations for improving the online communication about the hospitals are discussed, and suggestions for future research are proposed. The study serves as a starting point for further research on the online communication about Japan international hospitals as Japan strives to grow its medical tourism industry.

Medical tourism in Japan: an examination of Japan's international hospitals' online communication

This study examines the online information about Japanese hospitals, designated Japan international hospitals by the Japanese government, provided at JAPAN Hospital Search, a government portal site, and the hospital websites in order to explore how these hospitals are presented online and attempt to appeal to the perceived needs of prospective medical tourists. The content of 39 hospital websites are analysed across five dimensions: hospital information and facilities, admissions and medical services, interactive online services, external activities, and technical items. Results show differences in the extent to which the hospitals convey information across the five dimensions. Additionally, the findings reveal inconsistencies between the hospital information presented at JAPAN Hospital Search and the hospital websites. Recommendations for improving the online communication about the hospitals are discussed, and suggestions for future research are proposed. The study serves as a starting point for further research on the online communication about Japan international hospitals as Japan strives to grow its medical tourism industry.

Evaluation of the website of public hospitals in Isfahan with the WebMedQual approach in 2018.

INTRODUCTION:Hospital websites are one of the most important communication and information distribution tools in hospitals. Evaluation of hospital websites based on different aspects including design, content, accessibility, and other related criteria can determine hospitals’ situation in the use of novel information technologies. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate public hospital websites of Isfahan using WebMedQual approach.MATERIALS AND METHODS:This study is an applied study carried out using a survey method which evaluated the public hospital websites of Isfahan using WebMedQual scale in the year 2015. Validity and reliability of the scale was confirmed. This scale includes 8 main components, 8 subcomponents, 95 items, and 3 supplementary questions. The study population included 17 public hospital websites in the city of Isfahan. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22 software.RESULTS:Based on the general score of WebMedQual scale, the websites of Noor and Ali Asghar hospitals with 42.21% had the highest and the website of Ibn Sina hospital with 22.81% had the lowest score. Findings also showed that among eight factors used in this scale, design with 59.96% and accessibility with 44.70% had the highest average scores. On the other hand, source credibility, user support, and privacy have the lowest average scores with averages of 22.87%, 21.56%, and 1.63%, respectively. The total average score of all factors was 31.94%.CONCLUSION:Scores showed that based on WebMedQual, public hospital websites in Isfahan have low quality. Therefore, it is necessary to review and make corrections regarding privacy and confidentiality guidelines, update website information, website content (clinical content and other contents) and website writers, and provide forums and other design-related factors for these websites.

The comparison of readability between information texts from web sites of private clinics and private hospitals

Aim: Rhinoplasty is a surgery which can be done in state hospitals, private hospitals and private clinics. Patients gen-erally go to the most suitable clinic whereas most surgeons prefer to perform surgery in private clinics. Thus, patients often confuse where to attend. Social media plays a crucial role for patients to decide where and who to choose. We compared readability of the information text from internet pages of private clinics and private hos-pitals from both plastic surgeons and otorhinolaryngologists.Material and Methods: The word “Rhinoplasty” was searched through internet and first 30 web sites were taken into account. First 100 words from information texts about rhinoplasty from both private clinic and hospital web sites were copied and studied using a program called LIDA. Gunnig-Fog index, Flesch-Kincaid and Atesman values were noted and evaluated.Results: The readability of both private hospitals and private clinics were found to be hard. Flesch-Kincaid values showed that information texts from private clinics in web sites (23.24 ± 3.45) were significantly different (p=0,035) than private hospitals (25,19 ± 3,5). As believed to be more specific to Turkish, Atesman values in private clinics (48,58 ± 16,71) were found to be more readable than private hospitals (38.81 ± 18.06) (p=0,034).Conclusion: Comparison of information texts between private clinics and private hospitals of plastic surgeons and otorhino-laryngologists showed that Atesman values, which are believed to be more specific to Turkish, and Flesch-Kincaid values were significantly high in private clinics suggesting it is easier to understand. To sum it up, infor-mation texts guide patients to private critics.

What patients see online: assessing the online identities of Pennsylvania dermatologists

Patients use the internet to search for health-related information. We sought to characterize the information that patients find when searching for dermatologists on Google. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Physician Comparable Downloadable File was utilized to identify all Medicare-participating dermatologists practicing in Pennsylvania (PA). A custom Google-based search engine was used to search each dermatologist. Up to the top 10 results for each physician were then sorted into: (1) physician, hospital, or healthcare system, (2) third-party, (3) social media, (4) academic journal articles, or (5) other. Within the CMS, 519 health care providers (53.9% male, 46.1% female) self-identified as dermatologists practicing in PA. At least one search result was obtained for each physician (4,963 total search results). About 30.6% (1,519) search results were hospital, health system, or physician-controlled websites, and 26.6% (1,318) were third-party websites (1,318; 26.6%). Social media websites accounted for 601 (12.1%) hits whereas peer-reviewed academic journal websites generated 135 (2.7%) results. One-way chi-square analysis showed domains were not randomly distributed across the five categories (P<0.0001). Dermatologists should be better aware of their digital presence and the strategies to better control their online identity.

Analysis of Interactive E-Health Tools on United Arab Emirates Patient Visited Hospital Websites.

ObjectivesThis study is to scrutinize the website of Seoul National University Hospital in Korea, Clinique Valmont in Switzerland, Medical Center of the University of Munich in Germany, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to suggest successful communication factors to the medical service providers who deal with Middle Eastern patients.MethodsUsing content analysis and in-depth interviews, this research examines four hospitals commonly visited by Middle East patients. The four hospitals approaches to implementing interactive e-health tools on their web sites are reviewed. Four hospitals selection criterion was process by focus group interview of government officials in UAE health sectors.ResultsThe way of providing medical information differed by hospitals that used e-health tools. The analysis of each website shows a different way providing medical information, services and education. There are important differences among hospitals. These include decision-making, planning processes and outcomes of implementing e-health tools online, as well as potential obstacles to such implementation. Thus, hospitals can learn and design effective interactive tools by applying e-health tools on their websites.ConclusionsEach website showed different interactive tools such as traditional functional tools, core e-business tools, patient support tools, visitor related tools, emerging functional tools. By applying the interactive e-health tools sets an objective view for e-health strategy and vision for the hospitals conveying information through the website. According to the type of hospitals and its location different methods of strategy should be applied. Targeting not only the patients but also the general website users will eventually improve health information accessibility.

Cancer-Related Internet Use and Online Social Networking Among Patients in an Early-Phase Clinical Trials Clinic at a Comprehensive Cancer Center.

We examined patterns, correlates, and the impact of cancer-related Internet use among patients with advanced cancer in a phase I clinical trials clinic for molecularly targeted oncologic agents. An anonymous questionnaire on Internet use for cancer-related purposes that incorporated input from phase I clinical trial oncologists and patients was self-administered by patients age ≥ 18 years in a phase I clinic. Multivariable modeling was used. Data were analyzed for the overall sample and by generation, which was defined by year of birth. Of 291 patients (52% women, 82% non-Hispanic white, 50% age ≤ 60 years), 62% were cancer-related Internet users (CIUs). Cancer-related Internet use was associated with an income of ≥ $60,000 (odds ratio, 2.42; P = .004). CIUs used the Internet to learn about their cancer (85%), treatment adverse effects (65%), clinical trials (52%), new alternative treatments (42%), and symptom management (41%). CIUs most frequently used the hospital Web site (70%) to learn about clinical trials, followed by ClinicalTrials.gov (42%) and search engines (41%). The emotional impact of Internet-derived cancer information on CIUs varied-56% felt empowered, 34% anxious, 29% relieved, and 17% confused. Cancer-related Internet information made 51% of patients from the Millennial (born after 1990) and Generation X/Y (born 1965 to 1990) CIU populations anxious compared with < 29% of CIUs from older generations (born 1964 and before). Most CIUs desired more online information about new experimental drugs (91%) and US Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs for cancer (72%). As most phase I patients use the Internet for cancer-related purposes, the Internet overall and hospital Web sites should provide more extensive, pertinent, and helpful information on clinical trials and cancer treatment to phase I patients.

294 Waiting for EURATOM 59/2013: Communicate and interact with users and patients on the perception of the ionizing radiation risk through an online survey

Purpose The aim of this work was to undertake/experience an online survey to interact with user, patients and healthcare professionals. The survey had a twofold objective: first, to get users aware on the ongoing changes in Hospital-to-patient interaction due to the imminent transposition of the Directive EURATOM-59/2013, that is the communication of radiation dose data in X-ray medical exposures; therefore, to evaluate the perception of the radiation risk and to identify the participants’ preferred way to communicate them the amount of radiation dose. Methods The survey was developed on the website SurveyMonkey and published at the address https://it.surveymonkey.com/r/NOSRadion . Users could access the survey by registering personal @mail address to a dedicated mailing-list, by visiting the Hospital website and by scanning a QR-code. No paper forms of the survey were proposed. The survey was developed to be brief and easy-to-read through three sections. In the first section personal data were recorded. In the second section, the personal feeling (interest and concern) with radiation risk connected to medical exposures was evaluated. In the last section, the preferred way to communicate dose to the patients was investigated by proposing several quantitative and qualitative options. Target recruiting group is established to 500 users. Results A recap of the preliminary analysis based on the answers collected from the first 143 survey users (covered by around 70% by non-professionals) are shown in Table 1 and indicates a strong interest in the topic of radiation dose due to medical exposure, even if it was not coupled to great concern. Numerical quantification of the dose data was chosen by most of participants. Mean time for survey completion was about 5 min. Conclusions Online survey showed to be an efficient and very low-cost way to interact with user/patients and a powerful tool to get qualitative information potentially useful to define management strategies. Survey outcomes are considered for future development of the Hospital environment.

Current Trends and Practices of Intensive Care Unit Visitations.

Few topics have existed for decades and created as much of a debate as when discussing appropriate visitation policies for patients. Studies have continued to document the conflicted opinions of nurses to commit to fully open visiting hours for various reasons. Family members are very definite in their desire to be at their loved one's bedside. To review the visiting policies of acute care hospitals in California and compare them to the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses recommendations. This descriptive study collected data from California acute care hospital websites about critical care visiting hours to assess visiting hours and the type, age, and number of visitors. Review of 363 hospital websites demonstrated a wide variation in policies when listed. Those that did post their visitation rules had no consistent policies regarding visiting hours or age, relationship, or number of visitors. Hospital visitation policies in California are inconsistent and not evenly enforced. They do not reflect current evidence and practice guidelines. Ethics require the nurses to advocate for their patient. In this role, nurses need to become proactive in implementing policy changes in their institution based on current evidence and practice guidelines.

Evaluating hospital websites in Kuwait to improve consumer engagement and access to health information: a cross-sectional analytical study

BackgroundCurrent advances in information and communication technology have made accessing and obtaining health-related information easier than ever before. Today, many hospital websites use a patient-centric approach to promote engagement and encourage learning for better health-related decision making. However, little is known about the current state of hospital websites in the State of Kuwait. This study aims to evaluate hospital websites in Kuwait and offer recommendations to improve patient engagement and access to health information.MethodsThis study employs a cross-sectional analytical approach to evaluate hospital websites in Kuwait in 2017. The websites of hospitals that provide in-patient services were identified through a structured search. Only active websites that were available in either English or Arabic were considered. The evaluation of the websites involved a combination of automated and expert- based evaluation methods and was performed across four dimensions: Accessibility, Usability, Presence, and Content.ResultsNine hospitals met the inclusion criteria. Most of the websites fell short in all four dimensions. None of the websites passed the accessibility guidelines. The usability of websites varied between hospitals. Overall, the majority of hospitals in Kuwait have rudimentary online presence and their websites require careful reassessment with respect to design, content, and user experience. The websites focus primarily on promoting services provided by the hospital rather than engaging and communicating with patients or providing evidence-based information.ConclusionsHealthcare organization and website developers should follow best-practices to improve their websites taking into consideration the quality, readability, objectivity, coverage and currency of the information as well as the design of their websites. Hospitals should leverage social media to gain outreach and better engagement with consumers. The websites should be offered in additional languages commonly spoken by people living in Kuwait. Efforts should be made to ensure that health information on hospital websites are evidence-based and checked by healthcare professionals.

Direct-to-consumer carrier screening for cystic fibrosis via a hospital website: a 6-year evaluation

A Dutch university hospital started offering cystic fibrosis (CF) carrier screening directly to consumers (DTC) through their website in 2010. A 6-year process evaluation was conducted to evaluate the offer. Screening was implemented as intended. However, uptake was lower than expected. Forty-four tests have been requested, partly by couples with a positive family history for CF, which was not the intended target group. Users were generally positive about the screening offer, citing accessibility, ease of testing, anonymity, and perceived shortcomings of regular healthcare as reasons for requesting screening. DTC CF carrier screening via a university hospital website is feasible, but is seldom used. Considering technological advances, continuation of this specific offer is questionable.

Comparative study of hospital information disclosure between China and the United States

Objective To compare the contents of hospital information disclosure in China and the United States, and provide reference to improve hospital information disclosure in China. Methods Systematic collection was made for hospital information disclosure data from government documentation, statistical yearbooks, and hospital website portals like Hospital Compare of the United States and China. By means of inductive method and comparative analysis, hospital′s medical services that were openly and freely accessible to the public of the two countries were studied in terms of structural indexes, medical quality indexes and patient experience assessment. Results The disclosed structure indexes of the US were abundant and distinctive. Its disclosed medical service quality indexes include such four diseases as myocardial infarction, cardiac failure, pneumonia and childhood asthma, as well as classification indexes under surgery infection prevention, comprising ten core process indexes and nine outcome indexes. In addition, the US also discloses patient experience survey results of ten aspects. Given the rich hospital information structure openly accessible in China, there lacks medical service quality information for disclosure. The only information directly comparable was the ranking of hospitals and specialties, instead of patient experience results. Conclusions China can learn from the experiences of American hospital information disclosure, establish an easy-to-understand and comparable index system; enrich the disclosure content, and build an authoritative and unified disclosure platform. Key words: Information services; Information disclosure; Structure indexes; Medicare quality indexes; Patient experience

The Requirements and baises of Medical Tourism Website for Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Informing the target population plays an important role in medical tourism attraction and should be managed in order to incorporate all appropriate tools to increase it. The aim of this study was to determine the requirements and basis of a medical tourism website for hospitals. Methods: This study was a cross sectional analytical study that was performed during year 2018 amongst hospital managers and faculty members of Iranian medical sciences universities that have the potential to attract medical tourism. Data gathering was done by a self-made questionnaire. From 120 questionnaires, which were distributed between samples, 82 were gathered completely. Data analysis was done by SPSS version 16 and descriptive (mean, frequency and etc.) and analytical (one-way ANOVA) statistical tests. Results: The results of the study showed that from the experts point of view, the most important requirement and basis of Hospital Medical Tourism Websites) HMTW(was photo gallery (mean = 4.44) and a general guide for patients (mean = 3.85) was the least significant element in HMTW. Also, there was no difference between faculty members, staff, and different genders regarding views about HMTW items (P = 0.11). Conclusions: Based on the results, it was suggested that the results of this study could be used by policymakers of medical tourism and Hospital Medical Tourism Websites (HMTW) developers. Also, the results of this study could be used as an evaluation tool for investigating hospital websites regarding medical tourism attraction abilities.

Optimising eHealth tools for older patients: Collaborative redesign of a hospital website.

Most hospital websites have not been developed in collaboration with patients and, therefore, rarely take into account the preferences and abilities of older patients. This study describes the systematic redesign of an existing hospital website in a co‐design process with patients and professional stakeholders (e.g. researchers, physicians, nurses, department heads, policymakers, website designers), with the aim to make it more user‐friendly for older patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). The redesign process consisted of three phases, where (I) both existing content and design were evaluated among CRC patients; (II) a prototype website was developed based on these insights; which (III) was evaluated again before making final adjustments. Mixed research methods were used for the redesign process. Specifically, insights from existing literature, outcomes from qualitative and quantitative empirical studies conducted by our team, and expert knowledge from relevant stakeholders, were collected and discussed in multidisciplinary consensus meetings, and served as input for the redesigned website. While the existing website was evaluated poorly, the qualitative evaluation of the prototype website in phase 3 showed that the newly redesigned website was usable for older CRC patients. A practical roadmap on how to collaboratively redesign and optimise existing eHealth tools to make them suitable for and operational in clinical settings is provided.

Treatments Involving Heat Show Promise For Alleviating Depression

Treatments Involving Heat Show Promise For Alleviating Depression

Trends of infodemiology studies: a scoping review.

The health care industry is rich in data and information. Web technologies, such as search engines and social media, have provided an opportunity for the management of user generated data in real time in the form of infodemiology studies. The aim of this study was to investigate infodemiology studies conducted during 2002-2016, and compare them based on developed, developing and in transition countries. This scoping review was conducted in 2017 with the help of the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar, Wiley and Springer databases were searched between the years 2002 and 2016. Finally, 56 articles were included in the review and analysed. The initial infodemiology studies pertain to the quality assessment of the hospital's websites. Most of the studies were on developed countries, based on flu, and published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. The infodemiology approach provides unmatched opportunities for the management of health data and information generated by the users. Using this potential will provide unique opportunities for the health information need assessment in real time by health librarians and thereby provide evidence based health information to the people.

Online advertising and marketing claims by providers of proton beam therapy: are they guideline-based?

BackgroundCancer patients frequently search the Internet for treatment options, and hospital websites are seen as reliable sources of knowledge. Guidelines support the use of proton radiotherapy in specific disease sites or on clinical trials. This study aims to evaluate direct-to-consumer advertising content and claims made by proton therapy centre (PTC) websites worldwide.MethodsOperational PTC websites in English were identified through the Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group website. Data abstraction of website content was performed independently by two investigators. Eight international guidelines were consulted to determine guideline-based indications for proton radiotherapy. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine the characteristics of PTC websites that indicated proton radiotherapy offered greater disease control or cure rates.ResultsForty-eight PTCs with 46 English websites were identified. 60·9% of PTC websites claimed proton therapy provided improved disease control or cure. U.S. websites listed more indications than international websites (15·5 ± 5·4 vs. 10·4 ± 5·8, p = 0·004). The most common disease sites advertised were prostate (87·0%), head and neck (87·0%) and pediatrics (82·6%), all of which were indicated in least one international guideline. Several disease sites advertised were not present in any consensus guidelines, including pancreatobiliary (52·2%), breast (50·0%), and esophageal (43·5%) cancers. Multivariate analysis found increasing number of disease sites and claiming their centre was a local or regional leader in proton radiotherapy was associated with indicating proton radiotherapy offers greater disease control or cure.ConclusionsInformation from PTC websites often differs from recommendations found in international consensus guidelines. As online marketing information may have significant influence on patient decision-making, alignment of such information with accepted guidelines and consensus opinion should be adopted by PTC providers.

Assessing the Online Outpatient Booking System

Background: Appointment scheduling is considered as one of the important aspects of patient flow management. Today, the advent of Internet into the realm of health care has paved the way for employing an internet-based booking system for visiting physicians. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing the online outpatient booking system in Iranian hospitals. Methods: The present study was an applied descriptive study. In this study, all outpatient appointment booking websites in Iranian hospitals were evaluated. The methods of outpatients booking in the hospitals (N = 598) were determined based on information available at their active websites. Finally, 31 active online booking systems were identified and investigated using a localized checklist, including 59 items in 6 sections. Results: The results showed that only 13.03% of Iranian hospitals had an active online booking system. All the online booking systems had a weak quality based on the total score percentage (17.10%). The highest score percentages were related to sections of online security features (45%) and details of health insurance (42%), while the clinical data section received the lowest score (7.25%). The most frequent item was the patient’s name in the patient demographics section (27 websites). Conclusions: The outpatient appointment system in Iranian hospitals is done more traditionally through walk-ins to the health centers. The online outpatient booking systems have poor quality. Hence, codification and communication of national standards for designing hospital websites, periodical evaluation of appointment booking websites by ministry of health, and survey of the users of this method can enhance the qualitative level of these websites.