Objectives

The first part is to think about why you want a website.

What your personal goals are for the site? Practice promotion? Patient education? There are many reasons to have a website, and they will influence your choices as you go along. Here are some things to consider.

 

Content

Almost all of us want to place content on our sites, or links to sites that we have reviewed and feel are accurate. Most professional societies are going to have, or already have, websites. They are in the early stages of planning what they want to place on them. Check to see what is being done in your country.

 

In the US, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery recently (March 10, 2000) launched a website service for members (US and International members are eligible. See Hosting for more details.). This service includes downloadable modules on about 40 different common clinical problems. You can but these "brochures" on your practice website on the AAOS website or on your own website hosted elsewhere. This program is very new and a bit rushed (they wanted it to be operations for the March 14 annual meeting), but will certainly grow in offerings. If you are not a member, you can get the material from a friend who is.

Another source in the US is the American Medical Association, which, in association with eight specialty societies, has created the Medem Project, a joint project with a venture capitalist. The goal is to for the specialty societies to create content and for Medem to furnish the wherewithal to put in on-line. Rather than yield the field of medical content to the Dr. Koop's, WebMD's, Medscape's, and et ceteras of the world, the AMA wants to mark this turf as their own. This means that, in the near future, you may not need to create all the content on your site, but you may be able to either link to orthopedic specialty societies around the world for content, or download it and customize it to your own style of practice.

 

Map

It is very easy to place a map on your site. You can also include a link to a map site that can customize a map from your patient's doorstep to your office. I do not know how to do that at this time, but it will be posted here when I can get the link. Until then, you might be able to get it from a site you know has it.

 

Promotion

The patient has a choice of orthopedists to choose from. Why should they choose you? You may have a particular style of practice, area of specialization, or some other reason you feel the patient should choose you. Also, remember: if you go to the trouble to create a website, be sure to list the URL in your yellowpages ad.

 

The Main Limitation

The main limitation to the usefulness of your site is not time or money (although these are limitations). The real limitation is your imagination, so brainstorm awhile before you decide you are ready for designing your site.

Do you have a physician website? Let me know about it and it may help me to make this chapter better. 

Also, please send your comments about this chapter of the Orthopedist's Guide to the Internet to David Nelson. Thank you.