The Disparity Between Public Utilization and Surgeon Awareness of the STS Patient Education Website

A growing number of patients consult online resources for medical information, not only to learn about their own health issues and therapeutic options, but also to evaluate the background and reputation of their physicians.  In 2015, the Workforce on Media Relations and Communications of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) created a Patient Information Task Force for the purpose of overhauling its patient information website into a comprehensive, multimedia, bilingual online education resource (ctsurgerypatients.org) for cardiothoracic surgical patients and their families. The website was also designed to be used as a reference tool to which STS member surgeons could refer their patients. The methodology and structure of the website are described, as well as an evaluation of its success using survey results both from patients utilizing the website and STS members.