Designing a branding model for the hospital in the digital era: a grounded theory

What was already known on this topic? Branding of hospitals is a fundamental issue for better interaction between the public and private sectors and attracting value and resources for the stakeholders. Continuous analysis and monitoring of patients' opinions on online platforms increases patients' trust and loyalty to the hospital brand. Digital marketing tools are used to create a positive customer experience of hospitals brand. What this study added to our knowledge? The use of social media, and search engine optimization (SEO) are the basic requirements of branding in the digital era in hospitals. Hospitals should do smart branding by focusing on patients and using intelligence. The development of digital branding in hospitals leads to the development of tourist therapy, the internationalization of the hospital and the value creation for the beneficiaries.