However, nearly one in three patients selects their physician based on website ratings, according to the study.
Researchers compared quality measures from 1,299 physicians who completed an ABIM practice improvement module with ratings for each physician published on eight free, publicly available health-based websites. Comments were not used in the evaluation.
The results may reflect the low number of available website ratings for physicians or low number of patients giving the ratings, lead author Bradley M. Gray, PhD, of ABIM said in a statement
“Our study is important because it is one of only a handful of studies to examine the ability of physician website ratings to reflect the quality of care patients are likely to receive,” said Dr. Gray. “This study also highlights the need for more valid and reliable physician quality information to be made publicly available.”
More articles on physician reviews:
How to handle negative online reviews
Consumers favor Yelp for physician reviews, survey finds
Analysis: 6 findings on trends, patterns of online reviews of physicians
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