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An Assessment of Online Reviews of Hand Surgeons
William Kirkpatrick1, Jack Abboudi1, Nayoung Kim1
1Rothman Institute of Orthopedics, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Insights
Physician rating websites show generally positive reviews for American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) members, but the low number of reviews raises concerns about score validity.
Area of Science:
- Medical Informatics
- Health Services Research
- Orthopedic Surgery
Background:
- Online physician rating websites are increasingly used by patients for healthcare decisions.
- The American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) represents a specialized group of orthopedic surgeons.
- Evaluating the online presence and patient feedback for ASSH members is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the quantity and quality of online reviews for active ASSH members on popular physician rating platforms.
- To determine the correlation between physician demographics and online scores.
- To investigate the implications of review data on patient decision-making.
Main Methods:
- Systematic search of 433 active ASSH members across Healthgrades.com and Vitals.com.
- Data collection included number of reviews, overall scores, subcategory scores, and wait times.
- Multivariate analysis was employed to identify factors influencing scores.
Main Results:
- ASSH members received an average of 13.8 reviews on Healthgrades.com and 9.4 on Vitals.com.
- The average overall physician score was 8.1/10, with most surgeons having 20 or fewer reviews.
- Physician age negatively correlated with overall score; wait time was not a significant factor.
Conclusions:
- Active ASSH members generally receive positive online reviews.
- The limited number of reviews challenges the reliability and validity of scores on these platforms.
- Physicians should be aware of and potentially engage with the data presented on physician rating websites.
Background:
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the number of reviews and scores for active members of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) in popular physician rating websites (Healthgrades.com and Vitals.com).
Methods:
A total of 433 ASSH active members were searched in two popular rating websites for a total of 866 web searches. Demographic data, overall and subcategory scores, number of reviews, and wait times were scored from each member's webpage.
Results:
The average number of reviews per surgeon on Healthgrades.com and Vitals.com were 13.8 (range 1-108) and 9.4 (range 0-148), respectively. The average overall score for physicians was 8.1 out of 10 points. For both websites, the vast majority (80-90%) of active members of the ASSH had 20 or less reviews. Multivariate data analysis revealed no statistical differences in overall score by region (P=0.24) or gender (P=0.38). Increasing physician age negatively correlated with overall score (P=0.01). Wait time was not associated with a negative score (P=0.38).
Conclusion:
Active members of the ASSH received generally positive reviews. The average number of reviews for active members of the ASSH was exceedingly small, bringing into question the legitimacy and validity of these scores. This is especially important when taking into consideration the increasing popularity of these websites, and the reliance of patients on them to obtain physician information. The clinical implication of this study is that physicians have a vested interest in the legitimacy of the data provided by these websites and other physician rating outlets.
