PHYSICIAN WEB SITES IN FACIAL PLASTIC SURGERY - 11/12/23
SUMMARY |
In deciding whether to create a personal web site, the physician must consider how this new technology meshes with his or her practice. Although each surgeon relies to a significant extent on a network of satisfied patients and physician colleagues as a source for case referrals, he or she may also elect to pursue a proactive approach to educating the prospective patient and enlarging his or her patient base. Once prohibited by the medical community, advertisements represent an increasingly exercised option for solo specialty practices, group practices, and university-based health systems. One must understand that a significant amount of information exchange is taking place on the Internet, and if the surgeon wishes to relate any information to this audience about plastic surgical procedures in general or the surgeon’s particular services in specific, then a web site may be appropriate.
For the surgeon contemplating creation of an Internet web site, additional issues must be considered. There are many complexities to creating a web page and making it as accessible as possible, and whereas some surgeons create their own, most web sites are done professionally.
What is the optimal mechanism for ensuring that a practice is familiar to the population from which patients are drawn? The long-term success of a practice requires the satisfaction of its patients; the endorsement of a patient remains the best form of advertising. Nevertheless, effort is required to reach out beyond this population to inform others of their options. The aesthetic surgeon may decide that it is necessary to use multiple modalities to establish or maintain regional recognition. In most cases, a print advertisement represents a consistently successful method for reaching out to the intended audience. Over the last decade, however, it has become apparent that the creation of a complementary web site is also a cost-effective means to increase practice identification. When used together, these two mechanisms are optimal for educating the patient and establishing a strong practice presence in the community.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Vol 8 - N° 1
P. 85-89 - février 2000 Retour au numéroBienvenue sur EM-consulte, la référence des professionnels de santé.
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