From Hospital Websites to Digital Health Service Platforms: Policy Priorities in Ecuador, Greece, Malaysia, and Portugal

Hospital websites have become essential elements of modern health systems. They are no longer only institutional communication tools; they are digital entry points through which patients search for information, access services, interact with hospitals, and make decisions about their healthcare.

In a context where citizens increasingly expect public and private services to be available online, hospital websites can reduce administrative burden, improve access to reliable health information, support patient empowerment, and strengthen institutional transparency.

The Health Online Service Provision Index (HOSPI) provides a structured tool for assessing hospital websites. It assesses websites across four criteria: Content, Services, Community Interaction, and Technology Features.

This policy brief draws on HOSPI applications in Ecuador, Greece, Malaysia, and Portugal. The comparison should be interpreted with caution because the studies differ in year, sample, context, and, in some cases, in the instrument version.

Nevertheless, the results reveal a consistent policy message: hospital websites across different health systems tend to perform better as information and communication platforms than as fully developed digital service platforms. The policy challenge is therefore not simply to improve website design, but to transform hospital websites into trustworthy, accessible, and service-oriented digital health gateways.