I would say that there is no definite answer. My guess is that in a world where more and more people are becoming net-savvy, patients and their families would go online to find a doctor and then get more information about the doctor. This is especially important for doctors who are looking for patients from overseas, where internet may be the first source of healthcare information.
Let us look at what kind of doctors need a website. Primary care physicians and doctors offering specific procedures like Dentists, Plastic Surgeons, Dermatologists and Ophthalmologists would benefit from having a website of their own where they could share information about their practice. For specialists like Cardiac surgeons and Neurosurgeons it may not be necessary to have a website but will be very useful. They are specialists to whom patients are referred to. Patients use referrals and do not “buy” services. However, a well designed website could offer useful information about the practice and also make the patient more comfortable. These websites can offer pre and post operative information which could be very useful for the patient. But, in these cases a poor website can do more harm than good. The content on a physician’s website could vary. It will depend on the speciality, but then there are some items that every site will need. For example every site must have the Location of the practice, Contact Information, Timings, whether credit cards are accepted or not, Physician’s training, certifications and affiliations. Also, if you have good testimonials, it is good to have it on the website.
Hospital based physicians and also other service providers like an Anaesthesiologist or a pathologist may feel that they may not need a website. Again, it may not be necessary but it will not hurt. In case of hospital based physicians, it a very effective medium to publish your papers and offer useful information for the patients. Also, for Pathology labs and Radiology labs, it may be a very effective medium for patients to know the services provided, how equipped the laboratory is and billing practices.
Having a website is one thing, but having a well designed website is another. Patients may find information about you, but it may not be necessary that they will be able to understand it. So make it easy to understand on doctor’s own website is great. The doctor’s website should be unique to the doctor’s practice style and speciality. It definitely is a good investment for every doctor to make. For doctors, take some time and spend some money to do it right though, or don’t do it at all.
