The Impact of Social Media on Negative Online Physician Reviews: an Observational Study in a Large, Academic, Multispecialty Practice

Widmer, R. Jay; Shepard, Margaret P.; Aase, Lee A.; Wald, John T.; Pruthi, Sandhya; Timimi, Farris K.

doi:10.1007/s11606-018-4720-3

Cited by 19 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Among individual neurosurgeons, the most prevalent platform was Twitter (27.4%), followed by Instagram (8.4%), Facebook (4.9%), and YouTube (2.2%). Content curation through these platforms grants departments and individual neurosurgeons the ability to shape patient perception 23,24 through disseminating patient-rele-vant health education, highlighting achievements, and defining philosophies of care. In support of this, prior studies have demonstrated that social media presence correlates with increased reviews and higher ratings on PRWs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlation between social media utilization by academic neurosurgery departments and higher online patient ratings

Lamano

Riestenberg

Haskell-Mendoza

et al. 2022

Journal of Neurosurgery

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OBJECTIVE Patients increasingly utilize online physician review websites (PRWs) and social media to inform healthcare-related decisions. This provides neurosurgeons with opportunities for increased patient engagement. And despite the growing use of social media among neurosurgeons, the relationship between social media utilization and online reviews remains unknown. The goal of this study was to characterize the relationship between social media utilization and PRW ratings across academic neurosurgery departments. METHODS Social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram) of academic neurosurgery departments were identified. Online reviews for individual faculty were obtained from Healthgrades, Vitals, WebMD, and Google. Reviews were aggregated to identify the total number of reviews per department, to generate a composite departmental rating, and to calculate a summed departmental score. US News & World Report (USNWR) and Doximity rankings were recorded for each department. Social media utilization by individual neurosurgeons and associated ratings were investigated within the departments with the highest social media utilization. RESULTS Seventy-eight percent of academic neurosurgery departments utilized social media. The most prevalent platform was YouTube (49.1%), followed by Twitter (46.5%), Facebook (38.6%), and Instagram (16.7%). Higher patient ratings on PRWs were associated with the utilization of YouTube (p = 0.048) or Twitter (p = 0.02). The number of social media platforms utilized demonstrated a significant, positive correlation with patient ratings (p = 0.006) and summed patient ratings (p = 0.048). Although USNWR (p = 0.02) and Doximity (p = 0.0008) rankings correlated with patient ratings, only the number of social media platforms utilized remained a significant predictor of patient ratings on multivariate analysis (p = 0.0001). Thirty-one percent of academic neurosurgeons from departments with high social media utilization were active on social media. The most prevalent social media platform among individual neurosurgeons was Twitter (27.4%), followed by Instagram (8.4%), Facebook (4.9%), and YouTube (2.2%). Higher summed patient scores were associated with individual neurosurgeon utilization of YouTube (p = 0.04), Facebook (p < 0.0001), and Instagram (p = 0.01). Increased social media utilization among neurosurgeons was correlated with a greater number of patient reviews (p = 0.006) and higher summed patient scores (p = 0.003). On multivariate analysis, only Facebook use remained a significant predictor of the number of patient reviews received (p = 0.002) and summed patient satisfaction scores (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS An increased social media presence is associated with higher ratings on PRWs. As neurosurgeons continue to expand their online presence, they should be aware of the possible impact of social media on online patient reviews.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlation between social media utilization by academic neurosurgery departments and higher online patient ratings

Lamano

Riestenberg

Haskell-Mendoza

et al. 2022

Journal of Neurosurgery

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“…The use of reviews is not to be taken lightly, with review platforms such as ‘Google review’ now significantly more accessible than dedicated physician review platforms. Online reviews of physicians are incredibly persuasive and can result in reputational harm, dependant on the review’s severity 5 . The effects and influence of publishing online reviews on social media platforms, has been a newly emergent topic within healthcare discussions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Online reviews of physicians are incredibly persuasive and can result in reputational harm, dependant on the review's severity. 5 The effects and influence of publishing online reviews on social media platforms, has been a newly emergent topic within healthcare discussions. Now users can construct negative reviews founded on personal anecdotes to persuade others as a perceived means of risk aversion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negative reviews online: an exploratory analysis of patient complaints about dental services in Western Australia

Kroon

Park

2021

Australian Dental Journal

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Objective Rates of online reviews are continually increasing. Coinciding with this, is the beneficial abundance of subjective information that is now available to patients. Such information can be persuasive in selecting a healthcare provider. This analysis of one‐and‐two‐star Google reviews received by dental practices within the Perth metropolitan region aims to identify common themes within dental practice complaints. Methods This mixed‐methods study was conducted by gathering reviews from the ‘Google review’ feature, which have been published by users between 2013 and 2020. These data were then coded into recognised themes, and crucial quotes were selected and de‐identified creating a narrative about the themes present which formed the qualitative component of this research. Results A total of 413 negative reviews were included in this study. From these, 1071 specific complaints were identified. Major themes identified included treatment issues, staffing, communication and professionalism, finance, and premise. Spread across these five themes were an additional thirty‐eight subthemes. Overall, treatment was a primary concern for patients, making up 37.1% of the results. Within the subthemes ‘treatment dissatisfaction (unspecified)’ was also high, at 23.1%. Conclusion This study identified the most common complaints received by dental clinics on Google review within the Perth metropolitan area. Further investigation is required to provide supplementary data regarding factors that may influence complaint rates and types, such as the socio‐economic status of areas and geographical factors such as distance from the Perth metropolitan.

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“…Their first impression is therefore in part influenced by the information they encounter online. Social media may be a tool for physicians to optimize their online presence and present a positive image, to help shape that first impression [43].…”

Section: Patient Perspectives Of Physicians On Social Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging Social Media for Cardio-Oncology

Brown

Daly

Duma

et al. 2020

Curr. Treat. Options in Oncol.

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As the world becomes more connected through online and offline social networking, there has been much discussion of how the rapid rise of social media could be used in ways that can be productive and instructive in various healthcare specialties, such as Cardiology and its subspecialty areas. In this review, the role of social media in the field of Cardio-Oncology is discussed. With an estimated 17 million cancer survivors in the USA in 2019 and 22 million estimated by 2030, more education and awareness are needed. Networking and collaboration are also needed to meet the needs of our patients and healthcare professionals in this emerging field bridging two disciplines. Cardiovascular disease is second only to recurrence of the primary cancer or diagnosis with a secondary malignancy, as a leading cause of death in cancer survivors. A majority of these survivors are anticipated to be on social media seeking information, support, and ideas for optimizing health. Healthcare professionals in Cardio-Oncology are also online for networking, education, scholarship, career development, and advocacy in this field. Here, we describe the utilization and potential impact of social media in Cardio-Oncology, with inclusion of various hashtags frequently used in the Cardio-Oncology Twitter community.

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The Impact of Social Media on Negative Online Physician Reviews: an Observational Study in a Large, Academic, Multispecialty Practice

Cited by 19 publications

References 9 publications

Correlation between social media utilization by academic neurosurgery departments and higher online patient ratings

Correlation between social media utilization by academic neurosurgery departments and higher online patient ratings

Negative reviews online: an exploratory analysis of patient complaints about dental services in Western Australia

Leveraging Social Media for Cardio-Oncology

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