Characterizing negative reviews of orthopedic spine surgeons and practices
Background: Recent evidence suggests that patients prefer subjective and crowd-sourced information over data-driven or quality-based outcomes when choosing a surgeon. Online physician rating and review websites continue to increase in popularity, and over half of patients use them to research physic...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-09-01
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| Series: | North American Spine Society Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666548422000294 |
| _version_ | 1811269871843934208 |
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| author | Joseph C. Brinkman Jordan R. Pollock Jaymeson R. Arthur Jacob Smith Keldon Lin Michael S. Chang |
| author_facet | Joseph C. Brinkman Jordan R. Pollock Jaymeson R. Arthur Jacob Smith Keldon Lin Michael S. Chang |
| author_sort | Joseph C. Brinkman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Recent evidence suggests that patients prefer subjective and crowd-sourced information over data-driven or quality-based outcomes when choosing a surgeon. Online physician rating and review websites continue to increase in popularity, and over half of patients use them to research physicians. Specifically, Yelp.com is the most frequently utilized online resource by patients. Data regarding the characteristics of negative reviews for spine surgeons and practices is lacking. Methods: Orthopedic Spine surgeons and practices in 8 major US metropolitan regions were surveyed for one-star reviews on Yelp.com. The factors noted in the reviews were recorded and they were classified according to their clinical or nonclinical nature. Reviews were also subclassified into nonsurgical or surgical episodes of care. Results: A total of 6,286 Yelp reviews were discovered, 671 (10.6%) of which were rated one-star. The majority of negative reviews (76.4%) were from patients who did not report surgery by the surgeon or practice. Of all comments, 491 (77.6%) related to nonclinical complaints. The most common factors noted in negative reviews were related to bedside manner, rude or unprofessional staff, and wait time. Conclusion: Choosing a surgeon is a complex process for patients. The large majority of negative reviews were related to nonclinical issues such as poor bedside manner or rude staff and most of these were written by patients that did not undergo a surgical procedure. This may explain the large discrepancy that has been observed between quality metrics and online crowd-sourced reviews. Paying attention to these nonclinical factors may represent the most feasible and valuable targets to improve a surgeon's practice and attract future patients. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T21:49:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-71c1b5162ef04a389f5687f03e8bfd12 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-5484 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T21:49:51Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | North American Spine Society Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-71c1b5162ef04a389f5687f03e8bfd122022-12-22T03:15:31ZengElsevierNorth American Spine Society Journal2666-54842022-09-0111100126Characterizing negative reviews of orthopedic spine surgeons and practicesJoseph C. Brinkman0Jordan R. Pollock1Jaymeson R. Arthur2Jacob Smith3Keldon Lin4Michael S. Chang5Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America; Corresponding author at: 5777 E. Mayo Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85054.Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, Scottsdale, Arizona, United States of AmericaDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of AmericaMayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, Scottsdale, Arizona, United States of AmericaMayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, Scottsdale, Arizona, United States of AmericaDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America; Sonoran Spine Institute, Scottsdale, Arizona, United States of AmericaBackground: Recent evidence suggests that patients prefer subjective and crowd-sourced information over data-driven or quality-based outcomes when choosing a surgeon. Online physician rating and review websites continue to increase in popularity, and over half of patients use them to research physicians. Specifically, Yelp.com is the most frequently utilized online resource by patients. Data regarding the characteristics of negative reviews for spine surgeons and practices is lacking. Methods: Orthopedic Spine surgeons and practices in 8 major US metropolitan regions were surveyed for one-star reviews on Yelp.com. The factors noted in the reviews were recorded and they were classified according to their clinical or nonclinical nature. Reviews were also subclassified into nonsurgical or surgical episodes of care. Results: A total of 6,286 Yelp reviews were discovered, 671 (10.6%) of which were rated one-star. The majority of negative reviews (76.4%) were from patients who did not report surgery by the surgeon or practice. Of all comments, 491 (77.6%) related to nonclinical complaints. The most common factors noted in negative reviews were related to bedside manner, rude or unprofessional staff, and wait time. Conclusion: Choosing a surgeon is a complex process for patients. The large majority of negative reviews were related to nonclinical issues such as poor bedside manner or rude staff and most of these were written by patients that did not undergo a surgical procedure. This may explain the large discrepancy that has been observed between quality metrics and online crowd-sourced reviews. Paying attention to these nonclinical factors may represent the most feasible and valuable targets to improve a surgeon's practice and attract future patients.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666548422000294OnlinePhysician ratingsPhysician reviewsSocial mediaQualityReimbursement |
| spellingShingle | Joseph C. Brinkman Jordan R. Pollock Jaymeson R. Arthur Jacob Smith Keldon Lin Michael S. Chang Characterizing negative reviews of orthopedic spine surgeons and practices North American Spine Society Journal Online Physician ratings Physician reviews Social media Quality Reimbursement |
| title | Characterizing negative reviews of orthopedic spine surgeons and practices |
| title_full | Characterizing negative reviews of orthopedic spine surgeons and practices |
| title_fullStr | Characterizing negative reviews of orthopedic spine surgeons and practices |
| title_full_unstemmed | Characterizing negative reviews of orthopedic spine surgeons and practices |
| title_short | Characterizing negative reviews of orthopedic spine surgeons and practices |
| title_sort | characterizing negative reviews of orthopedic spine surgeons and practices |
| topic | Online Physician ratings Physician reviews Social media Quality Reimbursement |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666548422000294 |
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