The Effect of a Surgeon’s Online Presence on Surgeon Selection in Elective Joint Arthroplasty

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role that a surgeon’s online presence plays in patients’ decisions to be treated by that surgeon. Postoperative patients from our arthroplasty clinic were enrolled in a retrospective cross-sectional questionnaire. Results from 101 patients demonstrated that the most searched information was education and training (68.8%), online ratings (53.1%), online reviews (50%), associated hospital and/or university (46.9%), insurance coverage (37.5%), location (21.9%), and awards (9.4%). The results of our questionnaire suggest that orthopedic surgeons could more effectively shape their online presences by highlighting these characteristics that patients are more likely to research.

Surgeon Personality, Time Spent With the Patient, and Quality of Facilities Are the Most Important Factors to Patients in Selecting an Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Surgeon

“…While online reviews have had a longer standing presence in the restaurant industry and elsewhere, they have entered the mainstream for surgeon evaluation as well. 20 …”