Members Survey Results

Prior to Virtual Medical Centre conducting branding market research on our site members, Editorial Advisory Board members and medical professionals we discovered that the word “Virtual” is no longer commonly searched for, and by continuing to use “Virtual” we are potentially limiting the amount of people who can find our valuable site through search engines.

Prior to Virtual Medical Centre conducting branding market research on our site members, Editorial Advisory Board members and medical professionals we discovered that the word “Virtual” is no longer commonly searched for, and by continuing to use “Virtual” we are potentially limiting the amount of people who can find our valuable site through search engines. Taking this into consideration we have to think about a new name and new features on our site. And who better to ask than those who have a vested interest in our service – our members. We surveyed 4,584 members of which 18% responded. Considering a good response is approximately 10% we are delighted to have received almost double that!Since its inception, Virtual Medical Centre has been a free service and the increased usage and popularity of these sites over the last 4 years has lead to an increase in the cost of operating this free community service.In order to continue providing free information to doctors and general public we need to identify alternative income streams.Before giving away the results of the survey, it is important to stress that the content of the sites will remain the same and will still continue to provide valuable medical information to doctors and the general public.

Report

Question 1Which one of the following would you prefer as the new name to supersede the name Virtual Medical Centre?Medi-iMedical-iOnline Medical CentreMedical Information69% preferred Online Medical CentreQuestion 2 Which one of the following website layouts do you like?

46% favoured layout 3Question 3Do you think offering advertising space on the sites will be appropriate?Yes No70% agree to the appropriateness of offering advertising space if done tastefully.Question 4 If yes, what type of advertising would you consider appropriate?Over the counter productsPrescription products (doctors only section)Other products (i.e. health insurance, holidays, cars etc)For those who answered yes to Question 3 34% want over the count products 41% chose prescription products 25% opted for other productsQuestion 5How do you feel about Virtual Medical Centre selling pharmaceutical products on the websites?57% agree to selling pharmaceutical products on the website Question 6 Would pharmaceutical products on the website be of interest to you?Yes No 61% would be interested in pharmaceutical products as long as this did not compromise the credibility or integrity of the site and its information.Question 7 Would you consider purchasing pharmaceutical products on our sites?53% would consider purchasing pharmaceutical products from our site as long as this did not compromise the credibility or integrity of the site and its information.With almost every response including a comment, we understand the need to maintain our integrity without causing conflict of interest. All comments provided were extremely insightful and will be individually addressed by management. From these comments, policies will be developed which will guide us in placing appropriate advertising on the site and direct us on how we approach offering pharmaceutical services. As we develop these policies and guidelines we will keep you informed through your e-newsletter.Once again we thank you for your support. Our members are the life blood of Virtual Medical Centre and we aim to maintain our standards thanks to your help.If you have any suggestions on what you would like to see on Virtual Medical Centre in the future or any comments please send them to leat@virtualmedicalcentre.com