Abstract
BackgroundPatients use Web-based platforms to review general surgeons. However, little is known about the free-form text and structured content of the reviews or how they relate to the physicians’ characteristics or their practices.ObjectiveThis observational study aimed to analyze the Web-based reviews of general surgeons on the west side of Los Angeles.MethodsDemographics, practice characteristics, and Web-based presence were recorded. We evaluated frequency and types of Yelp reviews and assigned negative remarks to 5 categories. Tabulated results were evaluated using independent t test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation analysis to determine associations between the number of total and negative reviews with respect to practice structure and physician characteristics.ResultsOf the 146 general surgeons, 51 (35%) had at least 1 review and 29 (20%) had at least 1 negative review. There were 806 total reviews, 679 (84.2%) positive reviews and 127 (15.8%) negative reviews. The negative reviews contained a total of 376 negative remarks, categorized into physician demeanor (124/376, 32.9%), clinical outcomes (81/376, 22%), office or staff (83/376, 22%), scheduling (44/376, 12%), and billing (44/376, 12%). Surgeons with a professional website had significantly more reviews than those without (P=.003). Surgeons in private practice had significantly more reviews (P=.002) and more negative reviews (P=.03) than surgeons who were institution employed. A strong and direct correlation was found between a surgeon’s number of reviews and number of negative reviews (P<.001).ConclusionsAs the most common category of complaints was about physician demeanor, surgeons may optimize their Web-based reputation by improving their bedside manner. A surgeon’s Web presence, private practice, and the total number of reviews are significantly associated with both positive and negative reviews.
Highlights
One of the most ubiquitous business review websites, Yelp was established because the founder was unable to find recommendations for local physicians on the Web [1]
As the most common category of complaints was about physician demeanor, surgeons may optimize their Web-based reputation by improving their bedside manner
As customer feedback has become increasingly accessible, Web-based rating sites have an influential impact on the impression and decisions of patients, with as many as 68% of patients turning to these resources to research or review physicians [2]
Summary
One of the most ubiquitous business review websites, Yelp was established because the founder was unable to find recommendations for local physicians on the Web [1]. As customer feedback has become increasingly accessible, Web-based rating sites have an influential impact on the impression and decisions of patients, with as many as 68% of patients turning to these resources to research or review physicians [2]. There are at least 33 websites where patients can describe their experience at hospitals, clinics, or clinical practices [6]. These websites range from general consumer rating websites to websites geared toward the medical field. Yelp is one of the most used Web-based resources to review physicians [7,8,9,10,11,12]. Little is known about the free-form text and structured content of the reviews or how they relate to the physicians’ characteristics or their practices
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