Building better pediatric surgeons: A sentiment analysis of online physician review websites

Abstract

Purpose: Physician review websites are a heavily utilized patient tool for finding, rating, and reviewing surgeons. Natural language processing such as sentiment analysis provides a comprehensive approach to better understand the nuances of patient perception. This study utilizes sentiment analysis to examine how specific patient sentiments correspond to positive and negative experiences in online reviews of pediatric orthopedic surgeons. Methods: The online written reviews and star ratings of pediatric surgeons belonging to the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America were obtained from healthgrades.com . A sentiment analysis package obtained compound scores of each surgeon’s reviews. Inferential statistics analyzed relationships between demographic variables and star/sentiment scores. Word frequency analyses and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed on key terms. Results: A total of 749 pediatric surgeons (3830 total online reviews) were included. 80.8% were males and 33.8% were below 50 years of age. Male surgeons and younger surgeons had higher mean star ratings. Surgeon attributes including “confident” (p < 0.01) and “comfortable” (p < 0.01) improved the odds of positive reviews, while “rude” (p < 0.01) and “unprofessional” (p < 0.01) decreased these odds. Comments regarding “pain” lowered the odds of positive reviews (p < 0.01), whereas “pain-free” increased these odds (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Pediatric surgeons who were younger, communicated effectively, eased pain, and curated a welcoming office setting were more likely to receive positively written online reviews. This suggests that a spectrum of interpersonal and ancillary factors impact patient experience and perceptions beyond surgical skill. These outcomes can advise pediatric surgeons on behavioral and office qualities that patients and families prioritize when rating/recommending surgeons online. Level of evidence: IV

Qualitative feedback from caregivers in a multidisciplinary pediatric neuromuscular clinic

“…Similar concepts have been noted in previous reports in which patients have rated physicians higher online if they perceived them to have good communication skills [30]. For example, Butler et al showed that pediatric surgeons who communicated effectively were more likely to receive higher online ratings and more positive comments [24]. All caregivers in this study felt that providers communicated the next steps in their child's care, which ultimately makes caregivers more comfortable with their children's providers.…”

“…Further, convenience is largely associated with satisfaction. Previous literature has shown that both convenience and office environmental factors influence patient and caregiver perspectives when they critique healthcare settings [24][25][26]. In a similar manner, Allshouse et al articulated that many primary care settings are unable to meet the clinical needs of CMC alone [16].…”

Application of sentiment and word frequency analysis of physician review sites to evaluate refractive surgery care

“…VADER has been previously utilized in studies investigating the emotional tone of comments on online social media platforms such as Reddit, 6 Twitter, 7 , 8 and in healthcare on PRW to evaluate patient reviews. 3 , 4 , 9 Within ophthalmology, VADER analysis of PRWs, such as Healthgrades, has identified overall positive sentiment among patients, with specific concerns surrounding wait times and staff for pediatric ophthalmology and glaucoma providers. 4 , 5 …”