Yelp Could Be The Key To Finding A Good Doctor (Yes, Seriously)

People scour online reviews to find the best restaurant or bar — and new research suggests that people are increasingly turning to online reviews to find the best doctors, too. But unlike restaurants, which are rated on factors such as food and service, what separates a five-star physician review from a one-star panning? In a new small study, published Jan. 26 in the journal JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery, researchers examined what factors influenced how patients rated their doctors on Yelp. To do so, they analyzed Yelp reviews posted in May 2014 for dermatologists, general plastic surgeons and facial plastic surgeons in five cities: New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco and Chicago. [10 Technologies That Will Transform Your Life] From a total of 200 reviews, the researchers analyzed 264 separate comments — for example, if a review mentioned bedside manner and ease of scheduling, the researchers identified this as two comments. Bedside manner was the most common factor noted in both five-star and one-star reviews, according to the study: 26 percent of the five-star reviews and 23 percent of the one-star reviews mentioned the doctor’s bedside manner. Factors such as the doctor’s knowledge accounted for 22 percent of the five-star comments, and satisfaction with the results accounted for 17 percent, the researchers found. In the realm of one-star reviews, comments about the doctor’s honesty or the patient’s perception of being pressur...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news