Healthcare and the relevance of structured content

In recent years, digital content has become increasingly vital to the healthcare industry. As patients and healthcare providers alike rely more on online resources for information, education, and communication, the demand for accessible and high-quality content has grown exponentially.

Websites, mobile applications, and other digital channels have transformed the way healthcare organizations interact with their audiences.

From delivering essential medical information to sharing updates on the latest research findings and treatment options, digital content plays a pivotal role in shaping the overall patient experience, enhancing healthcare professional engagement, and empowering individuals to make informed decisions.

The need for structured content in healthcare organizations

As the volume and complexity of digital content continue to grow, healthcare organizations face the challenge of managing, organizing, and delivering relevant content effectively.

This is where structured content comes into play.

By adopting a structured approach to content creation and management, healthcare organizations can ensure that their content is easily accessible, reusable, and consistent across all digital channels. Structured content also enables efficient content organization, improves search functionality, and allows for seamless content updates.

Implementing structured content practices is crucial for healthcare organizations to optimize their digital content strategies and provide the best possible user experience.

Key benefits of structured content in healthcare

Improved content accessibility: Structured content simplifies navigation for users, making it easier for them to find the information they need. By organizing content into clear categories and utilizing metadata and taxonomy standards like SNOMED CT, healthcare organizations can enhance search functionality and guide users more efficiently to relevant resources.

Increased content reusability: Structured content allows healthcare organizations to reuse existing content in multiple contexts, reducing duplication of effort and improving overall efficiency. By breaking content into modular components, it becomes easier to manage, update, and repurpose as needed, saving time and resources.

See also: How to leverage structured content for health organizations »

Consistent messaging and branding: A structured content approach ensures uniformity in content presentation, maintaining accuracy and credibility across all digital channels. Consistent messaging reinforces the organization's brand identity and builds trust with users, who can rely on the content's quality and relevance.

Streamlined content localization: Structured content simplifies the translation process, making it easier to adapt information for diverse audiences. By separating content from presentation and using standardized metadata, healthcare organizations can efficiently localize content to meet regional regulations and cultural needs, broadening their reach and impact.

Getting started with structured content

Content analysis and inventory: Begin by identifying and cataloging existing content, assessing its quality and relevance. This helps determine what content should be retained, updated, or removed, laying the foundation for an organized content structure.

Content strategy and governance: Establish content types, metadata, guidelines, and workflows that align with organizational goals. This creates a framework for content creation, management, and consistency, ensuring the ongoing success of structured content initiatives.

Adopt a CMS: Choose and implement a suitable content management system (CMS) that supports structured content practices. This will streamline content organization, updates, and localization, integrating seamlessly with existing infrastructure.

Read more: What features should a CMS have to cater to the healthcare sector?

Best practices for structuring healthcare content

Focus on the user experience: Design content with different user personas in mind, ensuring readability and ease of navigation. Optimize content for mobile responsiveness, catering to users accessing information on various devices.

Comply with accessibility standards: Adhere to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and address the needs of users with disabilities. This ensures that your content is inclusive and accessible to all, fostering a positive user experience.

Maintain content freshness: Regularly review and update content to ensure it remains accurate and relevant. Archive outdated or irrelevant content to maintain a clean and up-to-date content repository, enhancing user trust and satisfaction.

***

The value of structured content for healthcare organizations lies in its ability to improve the user experience, streamline content management, ensure content quality, and the reuse of content and assets.

By embracing structured content practices, healthcare organizations can deliver accurate, accessible, and relevant information across various digital channels, ultimately enhancing healthcare professional engagement and fostering trust.