Who Gets Five Stars? Surgeon-Level Predictors of Patient Ratings in Hand Surgery

Online physician ratings are a model for patient satisfaction and play a key role in patient recruitment. This study examines the influence of different variables on hand surgeons' average ratings and patient engagement on physician review websites (PRWs).

The American Society for Surgery of the Hand directory was queried for all actively practicing orthopaedic or plastic-trained hand surgeons in the United States. Individuals were randomly selected and searched on various social media platforms for professional accounts. A summated online presence score was calculated to identify the top 20% of social media users. The use of a practice group or personal website was also recorded, as was a surgeon's practice setting and region of practice. H-index was searched on Scopus. Patient rating information was collected from Healthgrades, Google, and Vitals. Physicians' medical school and residency programs were noted for being a top 20 program based on US News and Doximity rankings.

A total of 97 orthopaedic and 102 plastic-trained surgeons were reviewed. Private practice orthopaedic surgeons had higher mean ratings on Healthgrades than those in academic practice. The top 20% of social media users had markedly higher mean patient satisfaction ratings. H-index was positively associated with patient ratings and social media usage. Male surgeons had higher ratings and engagement than female surgeons. Younger hand surgeons had greater ratings and engagement compared with surgeons who have been in practice longer. Medical school or residency program prestige did not markedly affect patient satisfaction ratings.

Social media utilization and research productivity can influence patient satisfaction, measured by ratings and comments on PRWs. Given that most patients read PRWs before making an appointment, hand surgeons can use these data to optimize their online presence and overall ratings.

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