Redesigned FamilyDoctor.org Puts AAFP on Cutting Edge of Patient Education

A key resource for family physicians and their patients recently got an extreme makeover -- just in time for 2009. Thanks to a collaboration between the AAFP and multi-platform video distributor AnswersMedia Inc., the Academy's award-winning consumer Web site, FamilyDoctor.org, has a whole new look and a whole new sound.

The redesigned site integrates FamilyDoctor.org's existing peer-reviewed health information with interactive, high-definition video-on-demand. Co-produced by the Academy and Chicago-based AnswersMedia under the name Primetime HealthNet, FamilyDoctor.org now becomes the only medical association-sponsored Web site offering vetted health care information in text-based, video and combined formats.

According to AAFP President Ted Epperly, M.D., of Boise, Idaho, "FamilyDoctor.org is taking health information to a whole new level."

"Visitors will not only be able to read about their own health issues, they'll be able to see and hear the latest clinical information on the same site," he says in an introductory video posted on the site. "Health videos, news and perspectives, interactive tools and quizzes will soon all be found on FamilyDoctor.org."

"Video-on-demand is the new frontier in information-sharing, and there is no more important topic than health care," said AAFP Vice President for Publishing and Communications Michael Springer.

"Changes in the health care system will demand that patients are better informed and take more responsibility for their own health and wellness," Springer added. "The new FamilyDoctor.org will give them the tools to do this even more effectively. Now patients will not only be able to read about various conditions, they will be able to see and to hear what these conditions mean to them and to their families."

The redesigned site now features nearly 100 videos, including many in Spanish, on common medical conditions, treatments and preventive health services. The videos are drawn from health programming created by AnswersTV, a division of AnswersMedia. More videos and a variety of other resources are scheduled to be added in the coming months.

According to Megan Murphy, who is vice president, business and affiliate relations for AnswersMedia, the enhanced site brings together two leaders in their respective information-sharing fields, capitalizing on the respective strengths of each.

Even before the redesign, FamilyDoctor.org drew nearly 3 million unique visitors each month and boasted a monthly total of more than 5.6 million page views.

"The AAFP's FamilyDoctor.org is one of the most visited consumer health sites on the Internet," said Murphy. "AnswersMedia is a leader in broadband and cross-platform video distribution, with more than two decades of experience in health care content and television production.

"It was a perfect fit."

Visitors to FamilyDoctor.org will find the same in-depth, printer-friendly educational materials that can be shared with others easily. But now, video content on the site enriches the user experience by providing visuals of health care information that can be difficult to convey in text format, such as how to do a breast self-examination or what to expect during a colonoscopy.

As always, the site's content is reviewed by medical editors who are family physicians.

"AnswersMedia views this alliance as a groundbreaking opportunity that could change the way health information is distributed to patients and caregivers," said Murphy. "FamilyDoctor.org provides access to easily searchable and, now, visually engaging health information."

Both Springer and Murphy agree that the current enhancements to the site -- and those to come -- allow the AAFP to remain at the cutting edge of patient education.

"The convergence of media is moving at a rapid pace," Murphy said. "Web sites are becoming 'go-to' resources for consumers and marketers on a variety of platforms -- laptops, cell phones, mobile devices, public places. You soon will be able to search the Internet right from your family room on your television."

Here's a sneak peek at some of what visitors to FamilyDoctor.org can expect to see added to the site in the coming months:

"Our vision for this venture is to expand the reach of the AAFP as the most reliable and popular health information resource by being present on a variety of platforms, knocking down those traditional barriers to distribution," said Murphy. "The expanded reach of the AAFP and its members will provide patient education and physician involvement across the health care spectrum as never before. With our expertise in new media and video production, together with the AAFP's health information, there is virtually no platform we can't reach."

Want to comment on the changes to FamilyDoctor.org or ask questions about the site? It's simple: Just fill out the online e-mail form provided and submit it to the FamilyDoctor.org Web team.