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Online reviews gauge patient satisfaction at dermatology practices

A broad range of factors determined outpatients’ experiences at dermatology practices, according to an analysis of two consumer reporting websites.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania conducted a qualitative analysis of patient-generated reviews of dermatology practices on Yelp, a consumer review platform for businesses; and ZocDoc, a physician scheduling and review website.

There were 518 Yelp reviews from 45 practices and 4,921 ZocDoc reviews from 45 dermatology providers collected from Philadelphia, Houston and Seattle from Jan. 15 to July 15. Reviews were separated into high-scoring (5-star) and low-scoring (1-star) groups, with analysis completed when thematic saturation was reached.

The Yelp mean score was 3.46 stars (95% CI, 3.17-3.75), while the ZocDoc mean score was 4.72 (95% CI, 4.47-4.8). There was a greater proportion of individual reviews giving a score of 5.0 on ZocDoc (81%) than Yelp (44.2%; P < .001). Characteristics of the physician and practice were the focus of qualitative themes.

“Themes that emerged from the high-scoring and low-scoring reviews were similar in content but opposite in valence,” the researchers wrote.

Temperament, knowledge and competency, physician examinations, communication abilities and mindfulness of cost were physician-specific themes of the reviews. Scheduling, staff temperament, office cleanliness, waiting room and insurance were the top practice-specific themes.

“Patients appreciated physicians who are kind, respectful and thorough with the physical examination, empathetic about the emotional difficulty of skin disease; and cognizant of cost,” the researchers wrote.

Curt interactions with staff, scheduling difficulties, practice cleanliness and insurance issues were negative experiences reported.

“In striving to achieve the broader aim of improved patient experiences in health care, dermatologists may use themes from these review data to derive insight on patient perspectives of the clinical experience and guide improvements in care,” the researchers concluded. – by Bruce Thiel

 Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.