Factors considered by patients in provider selection for elective specialty surgery: A questionnaire-based survey

This study was designed to comprehensively evaluate the factors considered by patients in provider selection for elective specialty surgery.

A total of 200 patients (mean age 44.4 (range, 18.0-70.0) years, 51.0% were males), who were admitted to a tertiary care center for an elective surgery, participated on a voluntary basis in this cross-sectional questionnaire survey. The questionnaire form elicited items on sociodemographic characteristics of patients, characteristics of operation, factors contributing to physician selection by patients (physician-related factors, healthcare service/access related factors) and patients' view on factors contributing to physician selection.

Amongst the physician-related factors, attitude of physician (all items considered very important by majority of patients) was the factor most significantly contributed to physician selection as followed by reputation (recommendation of physician by former patients considered very important by 58.5%) or professional experience (presence of subspecialty certificate in surgery considered very important by 67.5%) and social media presence of the physician (comments and ratings of users about the physician considered very important by 26.5% of patients) of the physician. Patients considered hospital hygiene (75.5%) as the most significant healthcare service/access related factor in physician selection. Physician selection was considered to be of utmost importance in the treatment outcome by 95.5% of patients, while getting information about the physician before contacting her/him was considered important and actually performed for the current admission by 74% of patients.

In conclusion, our findings revealed that communicative skills of the physician, presence of subspecialty certificate in surgery, recommendations by former patients and comments and ratings of users were the leading factors contributed to physician selection by patients; being related to attitude, professional experience, reputation and social media presence of the physician, respectively. Hospital hygiene was the most significant healthcare service/access related factor contributed to physician selection.