Assessment of laryngologists'ratings on physician review websites

Objective:To assess and characterize online ratings and comments on laryngologists and determine factors that correlate with higher ratings.Methods:All the American Laryngological Association(ALA)members were queried across several online platforms.Ratings were normalized for comparison on a five-point Likert scale.Ratings were categorized based on context and for positive/negative aspects.Results:Of the 331 ALA members,256(77%)were rated on at least one online platform.Across all platforms,the average overall rating was 4.39±0.61(range:1.00-5.00).Specific positive ratings including“bedside manners,”“diagnostic accuracy,”“adequate time spent with patient,”“appropriate follow-up,”and“physician timeliness”had significant positive correlations to overall ratings,by Pearson's correlation(P<0.001).Long wait times had significant negative correlations to overall ratings(P<0.001).Conclusion:Online ratings and comments for laryngologists are significantly influenced by patient perceptions of bedside manner,physician competence,and time spent with the patient.