Online doctor reviews heavily influence patients, survey shows

In choosing health care professionals, a new survey shows that online reviews have a significant impact.

The Online Patient Review Study, conducted by Digital Assent, surveyed 341 participants, according to a press release issued by the marketing firm.

Results showed that 72% of patients would not see a particular doctor if they had bad online reviews, and 50% were encouraged by good reviews, according to the release. The survey also reported that only 18% of patients believe that online reviews have no influence on their decision to be treated by a doctor.

Additionally, the study found that patients had a particular tolerance for bad reviews and older reviews, the release said. It reported that 95% of patients are uncomfortable selecting a doctor if 25% of their reviews are bad and that by the time a review is 12 months old, 75% of patients feel that it has lost credibility.

"If it is inevitable that patients will eventually write online reviews about you and your practice, your best strategy is to embrace that fate and start taking steps towards collecting patient reviews and testimonials," the authors wrote in the study. "Other studies clearly show that the vast majority of online reviews left about doctors are positive, so the real objective is simply to build your online reputation by continuously encouraging patients to write reviews."