PDF icon Download PDF
J Wrist Surg
DOI: 10.1055/a-2522-9949
Clinical Research Article

Characterizing Negative Online Reviews in Hand Surgery

Lawrence J. Lin 
1   Department of Orthopedic Surgery, NYU School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, New York
,
Eric Mai
2   Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
,
Rae Lan 
1   Department of Orthopedic Surgery, NYU School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, New York
,
Sophia Jacobi
1   Department of Orthopedic Surgery, NYU School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, New York
,
Matthew V. Abola
1   Department of Orthopedic Surgery, NYU School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, New York
,
Omri Ayalon
1   Department of Orthopedic Surgery, NYU School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, New York
› Author Affiliations
Funding None.
› Further Information
   Permissions and Reprints
Preview

Abstract

Background Physician review websites are easily accessible resources for patients seeking care. The purpose of our study is to characterize the negative reviews of hand surgeons found on popular review sites using a random sample of members from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) directory.

Materials and Methods We randomly selected 500 hand surgeons from the AAOS Find an Orthopaedist database and searched for reviews on three websites: Healthgrades.com, Vitals.com, and RateMDs.com. All one-star written reviews were categorized based on the primary complaint in the review. These complaints were analyzed to determine the factors most frequently associated with negative reviews.

Results A total of 1,848 written one-star reviews were included in the analysis. Of all included reviews, 18.1% directly referenced having surgery with the reviewed surgeon while 81.9% did not. Nonclinical complaints comprised the majority of reviews (73.6%). Of the nonclinical complaints, bedside manner was the most frequently cited complaint (53.8%), while wait time (11.0%), time spent with the provider (10.4%), and staff complaints (8.5%) were the next most common. Among the clinical complaints, unfavorable surgical outcomes (40.4%) were most common, while disagreement with or unclear treatment plans (23.6%), misdiagnosis (12.3%), and uncontrolled pain (11.9%) were next.

Conclusion While there are several potential sources of patient dissatisfaction, we have demonstrated that nonclinical aspects of care, such as surgeon bedside manner and office wait times, are disproportionately cited as reasons for negative ratings on physician review websites. It is essential for hand surgeons to understand the motivations behind the reviews that they receive.

Keywords

hand surgeon ratings - physician review websites - online reviews - negative ratings - one-star review


Publication History

Received: 01 December 2024

Accepted: 20 January 2025

Article published online:
27 February 2025

© 2025. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA