Assessing the Quality of Public Hospital Websites in China

• Published in: International Information Institute (Tokyo). Information Vol. 18; no. 2; p. 557
• Main Authors: De Song, Xiang, Du, Tian Yi, Zhou, Ping, Shen, Da Wei, Xue, Di
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Koganei International Information Institute 01.02.2015
• Subjects: Acceptability; Channels; China; Communication; Consumers; Customer relations; Digital marketing; Health care; Hospitals; Insurance policies; Internet; Market strategy; Medical; Patients; Quality assessment; Socioeconomic factors; Websites; China
• ISSN: 1343-4500; 1344-8994

The present study assessed the quality of public hospital websites in China and investigated whether hospital location, size, and level of care affect the rate and quality of hospital websites. We developed a tool to assess hospital website quality and rated websites from sampled public hospitals. The overall rate of websites in public hospitals was 32.92%. According to the 4Ps framework, hospital website quality was acceptable with regard to place, but was weak for product, price, and promotion, especially for providing information about quatity of medical care, medical insurance policies and offers, providing online services, and channels for communication with patients. The rate and quality of hospital websites differed significantly for location and levels of care. Hospitals need to utilize advanced communication technology through websites to meet the demands of increasingly aware consumers and to cultivate, maintain, and redevelop positive relationships with patients.