So... you've got a website.....

Based on a short article published in GP Magazine

So you've got your web site, and filled it with information about your practice and the services you provide – what happens now?

If you made the leap to have a web site, then you must have decided what the reasons were to do it – didn't you?

A web site can be many things to many people, but a web site that doesn't know what it is, or what it's supposed to provide, may as well not be there. Did you want a web site purely as an extension of your practice leaflet or brochure, was it to be a repository for your patient information leaflets or maybe the place all your patients can go to get any kid of information they needed before calling you. What ever the decision, it is now your responsibility to keep the site up to date.

How would you feel if you went to the newsagent to get your monthly magazine, and then find it was exactly the same as the previous month? You'd be a bit disappointed, and although this is not a perfect comparison, take time to think about your patients needs.

Take the example of a news story about the effects a certain type of food could have on health and all of its related problems. How many of you posted a small article on your sites reassuring your patients?

Now think about your patients – they have heard a rumour about food, and want some information, they want to know if it's true and could they be affected. Who do they contact if they are? The first port of call is their GP, and now that he has a web site surely there should be something about this national event?

So what should you be doing to make sure your patients are catered for and take some pressure of your staff at the same time?

Don't forget about it
If you have got a web site, don't forget about it. It may be just a few pages and a yearly bill to you, but it can be a very important place for your patients. Make sure that the web site is on every agenda in important meetings. Even if it only serves to remind the staff that there is one. Make it the last question and ask; “Is there anything that we have just discussed that should be made available to our patients?”

Assign a member of staff the responsibility for looking after the website, even if that only means forwarding details to the maintenance company, and then following up. If you find you don't have time to do it, look into a maintenance contract. Remember your web site is important.

Suggestions
It sounds corny I know, but put a small box on the reception desk and ask both staff and patients what they would like to see on your site. You will get totally different answers from both parties. Staff may want to see answers to the most commonly asked questions because they find they are saying the same thing over and over again – patients may want information on late night chemists, or treatment information for common ailments such as flu or sunburn.

Anything you do put on the site will save you time and money in the long run. Make sure that your patient know that the information they have asked for can be read and/or downloaded from your web site.