by Raydia Osborne

Created on: August 01, 2008   Last Updated: August 20, 2008

In a world where the internet is increasingly becoming a main source of communication, many hospitals have realized that they must cater to computer users to maintain a competitive status. They even allow patients to make appointments online, making medical assistance more accessible than ever. But all hospital websites will claim to have the most cutting-edge technology and the most competent doctors. How can hospitals use their websites to set themselves apart?

How about a personal welcome from the city's hospital system CEO? No other hospital does it better than the Ronald Regan UCLA Medical Center website( http://www.uclahealth.org/) which features a short humanized streaming video message fom the CEO himself welcoming guests to the hospital. It's a feature that allows the website to be more personalized and gives the hospital more credibility as it uses a head authority as its spokesperson. Rovion movie media company is responsible for this growing human streaming video trend and has now been endorsed by major entertainment companies such as ESPN and Disney.

Those who don't want to read a long article of hospital current events are in luck with website podcasts which allow internet users to listen to the lastest hospital news reports. Internet users now have immediate access to live news shows without having to go to an alternate website and download it. And no eye strain is necessary. It's a great way to show patients that the hospital cares about patient health even before stepping into the building.

Interested in scoping out a hospital before becoming a patient? No need to worry. Hospitals are now giving patients a virtual tour so they can feel at home before even walking through the doors. India's Wockhardt Hospital's website (http://www.wockhardthospitals.net/general/virtual_t our.asp) is known for this feature. In an article about the hospital's website, Pradeep Thukral, Associate Vice President of the hospital states, "Our simple objective for setting up this website was to inform, educate and empower out potential patients and their families by offering them comprehensive information." And they have certainly acccomplished their objective. This new feature is one of many that contributed to it receiving the 2008 Best Website Award For Medical Tourism and Patient Information. http://www.wockhardthospitals.net/News/news_5.asp

Wit h the development of the Human Atlas link internet users can take a virtual tour of the body and discover how it is affected by a certain disease. With this feature, it is so much easier to get information on what goes on in the body when it's under attack. The New York Presbyterian hospital website (http://www.nyp.org/media/index.html) best uses this feature with its Interactive Health link which contains videos, 3-D models and slides of the body when it has a disease.

Last, but not least is the Find a Doctor link that lets patients search for a particular doctor or browse through a list of doctors to view their credentials. The days of wondering whether or not your doctor does not have proper experience is over.

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