Negative Online Ratings of Joint Replacement Surgeons: An Analysis of 6,402 Reviews

Abstract

Background: With the expanding accessibility of online health-care information, patients frequently report visiting physician rating websites before choosing a surgeon. As such, it is important to analyze patients' perception of arthroplasty surgeons as reflected on physician rating websites. Methods: A total of 6402 online reviews of arthroplasty surgeons were extracted for analysis. Each review rated less than 5 on a 5-point scale was deemed a "negative" review and was subsequently assigned to an appropriate category. Reviews were stratified by practice type, years in practice, gender, and low (<3) vs high (> 3) ratings. Results: A total of 6402 reviews comprising 315 physicians were included in the analysis. The average rating for all surgeons was 4.35. The average rating for physicians in private practice was 4.3, compared to 4.5 for those in an academic setting. The average rating for physicians in practice for 1-10 years was 4.46, compared to 4.03 for those with >10 years of experience (P < .001). The most common factors contributing to negative reviews were bedside manner, wait time, poor outcome, and surgeon proficiency. Surgeon-dependent factors were more commonly associated with lower rated reviews (P < .001). Conclusions: Arthroplasty surgeons typically receive high online ratings, with a mean of 4.35 on a 5-point scale. Physicians in academic practice received higher ratings than those in private practice, and physicians who have been in practice for 1-10 years received higher ratings than those with more than 10 years in practice. The most common factors contributing to negative reviews are surgeon-dependent, including bedside manner, poor outcome, and surgeon proficiency.

What Affects an Orthopaedic Surgeon's Online Rating? A Large-Scale, Retrospective Analysis

“…Similar to the study by Imbergamo et al, 39 our analysis demonstrates that rating and age have a significant negative correlation ( P < 0.0001), demonstrating that younger physicians often obtain higher ratings. Although patient feedback through online rating services may not remain positive or strictly correlate with physician competency, 20 this additional feedback may be beneficial nevertheless.…”

Characterizing Negative Online Reviews of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeons

“…In our study, only 7% (23/307) of reviews contained no constructive feedback while putting forth damaging In a 2020 study of 11,527 orthopaedic surgeon reviews, Yu et al 27 found factors that drove low ratings included lack of compassion, scheduling issues, and unresolved symptoms. Similar findings were found by Imbergamo et al 20 in their review of 6402 arthroplasty surgeons and concluded factors associated with lower ratings were all surgeon-dependent such as physician bedside manner. This was reiterated by Bernstein and Mesfin 24 in their review of 20 studies examining positive reviews among orthopaedic surgeons and concluded factors associated with higher physician ratings were all physician dependent.…”

“…This information can help guide future clinical practice and continue to shift health care to a more patient-centered approach. While previous studies have analyzed trends in online reviews, limited studies have focused on negative reviews, 13,20 and there have been no studies characterizing reviews of pediatric orthopaedic surgeons.…”

Customer satisfaction evaluation for drugs: A research based on online reviews and PROMETHEE-Ⅱ method

“…In addition, some scholars have studied many important factors affecting it based on satisfaction. By studying 6402 online doctor reviews, Imbergamo et al extracted factors that lead to dissatisfaction with joint surgeons, including clinical attitudes, adverse medical outcomes, and doctor proficiency [ 20 ]. Jung et al checked employees’ job satisfaction factors through online reviews, and analyzed the importance of each factor from different perspectives such as team and time, Using strengths analysis and regression analysis to study the relationship between overall job satisfaction and some factors (such as organization, promotion opportunities, etc.)…”