Six Cases of E-Health Videos on Hospital Web Sites

While more and more hospitals are getting on the Web 2.0 bandwagon for marketing, e-health videos as a marketing tool on hospital Web sites have been largely ignored. This study examines six hospital Web sites selected from more than two thousand U.S. hospital Web sites based on their uniqueness. The case study aims to find out why and how these hospitals or hospital systems are using e-health videos. The study concludes that developing outstanding e-health videos for the Web is not limited to financially or technologically privileged hospitals. Developing e-health videos requires a hospital administration’s technological awareness, a strategic plan, and dedication. A good strategy includes knowing what to emphasize on a Web site, presenting with consistency, and using up-to-date technology. The study also concludes that more patient education videos need to be produced to further develop visitor trust and increase market competitiveness, and that ROI measurement for using e-health videos needs to be enhanced.