Examining One-Star Reviews in Orthopaedic Hand Surgeons in Large U.S. Cities

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Patient Experience
• Healthcare Quality

Background:

• Physician review websites are crucial for patients selecting surgeons.
• Limited research exists on negative reviews for orthopaedic hand surgeons.
• Understanding patient dissatisfaction is key to improving care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze one-star reviews of orthopaedic hand and upper extremity surgeons.
• To identify factors contributing to patient dissatisfaction in the 10 largest US cities.
• To inform strategies for enhancing patient care and satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• Collected one-star reviews from Vitals.com for orthopaedic hand surgeons in the 10 largest US cities.
• Classified reviews as operative or nonoperative and subcategorized complaints.
• Analyzed 830 one-star reviews containing 1,662 distinct complaints.

Main Results:

• Nonoperative care patients comprised 66.5% of one-star reviews.
• Nonoperative patients frequently cited poor bedside manner (37.6%), insufficient provider time (18.1%), and long wait times (13.3%).
• Operative patients more often complained about disagreement with decisions (15.6%), uncontrolled pain (14.4%), and issues with staff/institution (17.2%).

Conclusions:

• One-star reviews for orthopaedic hand surgeons primarily concern non-clinical aspects, especially bedside manner.
• Surgical patients are less likely to leave one-star reviews, but complaints focus on clinical disagreements or postoperative pain.
• Addressing nonclinical factors and postoperative pain management can improve patient satisfaction.