Evaluation of web sites of the health organizations in terms of medical tourism

Websites of hospitals specializing in medical tourism are important marketing channels for showcasing and promoting destinations medical facilities. Hospitals that serve in the field of medical tourism need to be created in accordance with the qualities that can meet the expectations and needs of the market of the web sites. The aim of this study is to investigate medical tourism which are the developing alternative forms tourism in Turkey in recent years and to evaluate the characteristics of the contents and the user-orientation of hospital websites. In this study, the content of websites of health institutions which most preferred hospitals were analyzed with a scale developed by Maifredi al. (2010). Scale consists of five parts listed as technical factors, hospital information and services, acceptance and health services, interactive online services and external activities and 85 questions. Among the findings which featured in the study; rate of the entering into website of hospitals in foreign languages, rate of the information provided about hospital' location and contact information, ratio of presentation of the institutions working under an agreement and possibility of appointment over the internet have high rates. But it was indicated that hospitals didn't provide information about fees and payment methods of hospital services.