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Do you rely on ratings\u00a0websites to choose a doctor? If so, how reliable is that information?<\/p>\nDo you rely on ratings\u00a0websites to choose a doctor? If so, how reliable is that information?<\/p>\n
You can find reviews for any business \u2013\u00a0from restaurants to dog groomers. Healthcare is a bit more sensitive, and there has been much debate over the usefulness of online doctor ratings.<\/p>\n
Some sites have been accused\u00a0of manipulating reviews based on whether the doctor is a paid subscriber. There are\u00a0website\u00a0algorithms that are <\/span>designed to\u00a0push out certain reviews without a clear explanation.\u00a0Part of the debate has centered on the validity of ratings on a for-profit versus nonprofit ratings site.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0not always obvious\u00a0how these websites work, so\u00a0here are a few things to\u00a0keep in mind before you click.<\/p>\n Is the review from an actual patient? <\/strong>Reviews are usually from a patient, and sometimes a patient\u2019s family member. Fake\u00a0reviews do exist. Like a business\u00a0looking to hurt a competitor, or artificially pump up their own reputation. Most, if not all, ratings\u00a0sites claim they don\u2019t allow this. Something else to consider: if it\u2019s a negative review, was the patient being fair? People have bad days, and unfortunately so do medical practices. This isn\u2019t always a true assessment of the doctor, which leads us to the next tip.<\/p>\n How many reviews does the doctor have?<\/strong> Let\u2019s say a doctor has three 5-star ratings, and two 2-star ratings. Is that enough to really know about that doctor? Obviously only negative or positive reviews does say something. Considering doctors treat thousands of patients each year, do even 10 or 12 reviews tell the whole story?<\/p>\n Do doctors pay for their own reviews?<\/strong> In other words, is the site manipulating reviews based on who does or doesn\u2019t pay to join? This\u00a0can be illegal, and is always unethical. A credible doctor wouldn\u2019t\u00a0knowingly do this.<\/p>\n A recent study* found that online \u201cstar\u201d ratings may not accurately represent the quality of care patients receive. The study, conducted by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), was based on 1,299 doctors that completed a Practice Improvement Module in diabetes or hypertension treatment.<\/p>\n The study reviewed patient survey responses and medical records related to outcome and experience. This was compared against ratings those doctors received on eight leading rating websites that are publicly available and free.<\/p>\n According to the AIM study: \u201cthe comparison found that there was no statistically significant association between the online ratings given by patients about their physicians and the clinical quality of care delivered in their practices.\u201d Doctors who participated had an average of 5 to 6 online ratings.<\/p>\n While this related to patients with diabetes and hypertension, the study suggests that online reviews aren\u2019t necessarily the only measure of the quality of care a doctor provides.<\/p>\n Online\u00a0ratings may provide a snapshot of a particular\u00a0doctor.\u00a0But when it comes to your health, it\u2019s always good\u00a0to ask around after you\u2019ve clicked around.<\/p>\n *Source:\u00a0American Board of Internal Medicine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"