Many older Americans use online ratings when choosing physicians
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More than 40% of older adults in the United States said they utilized online ratings or reviews when choosing their doctor, according to survey data published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
The online ratings and reviews were viewed as “very important” nearly as much as verbal recommendations from respondents’ family and friends, and more often than a where a physician trained or went to medical school, researchers reported.
“We did this research because online ratings and reviews are increasingly available to the public, and it is unclear how older adults — who visit physicians more than any other age group — use and value this information when choosing a physician,” Jeffrey T. Kullgren, MD, MS, MPH, a research scientist at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan, told Healio Primary Care.
Kullgren and colleagues reviewed answers from 2,256 Americans aged 50 to 80 years, most of them women (n = 1,192) and white (n = 1,687), who responded to the National Poll on Healthy Aging in May 2019. The respondents answered questions about online habits and other factors when choosing a doctor.
The researchers wrote that more than four in 10 respondents (42.9%; 95% CI, 40.7%-45.1%) said they had obtained online ratings or reviews for a physician when choosing one for themselves. This process was more prevalent among women than men (48.2% vs. 37.1%), those with at least one chronic medical condition (45.2% vs. 38.%), and those with at least some college education (50.2%) or higher (49%) compared with those with a high school education or less (33.2%).
Kullgren said he was surprised to find that many older adults looked up online ratings and reviews.
“There is often a perception that online information sources are more used by, and useful to, younger patients, but our results suggest that many older patients are engaging with this information too,” he said.
The researchers also found that criteria older adults rated as “very important” when choosing a physician included whether the physician accepted their health insurance (93%; 95% CI, 91.8%-94.1%) and whether the physician was the same race/ethnicity as them (2.4%; 95% CI, 1.7%-3.2%). Although online physician ratings and reviews ranked ninth on the criteria for choosing a physician, they were deemed “very important” (20.3%; 95% CI, 18.5%-22.1%), almost as much as verbal recommendations (23%; 95% CI, 21.2%-25%). Online ratings were perceived to be “very important” more often among racial/ethnic minorities and less often among respondents with at least a bachelor's degree.
According to Kullgren, the findings underscore the importance of ensuring that online information regarding physicians is accurate and trustworthy, and that patients comprehend the information’s “potential and limitations.”
“Physicians should know that many older patients use online ratings and reviews when choosing a physician and perceive this information to be very important,” Kullgren continued. “However, physicians should keep these findings in perspective and know that many other factors are more influential when older adults choose a physician.”
Perspective
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This is an important study that surveyed adults about their usage of online physician surveys. As we know, older adults are less likely to use the internet or even a computer as compared to younger people. In this study of a select group of older adults, it was quite impressive that 43% of them looked up online physician ratings. Furthermore, they were more likely to be women, having a higher education level and chronic medical conditions. Although online physician reviews were not the primary deciding factor in choosing a physician, patients considered these as important as recommendations from family or friends. Possibly, the actual use of online physician ratings may be higher if we consider family members.
Unfortunately, the current online physician reviews are rudimentary in guiding patients. With increased access to computers, especially during COVID-19 pandemic, I hope to see an exponential growth in this area. It is not clear to me what information would best serve our patients. However, this study gives us insight that patients are most interested in health insurances accepted and race/ethnicity of the doctor. Having characteristics important to the patients online may save them time and streamline the process of having appointments with the right doctor.
The take-home message of the study is online physician ratings may gain further importance as we get comfortable with working online during the pandemic. Further knowledge of appropriate information for the patients to pick a doctor is needed to guide the medical community to have valuable online physician reviews.
Public Health Advocate, Aurora Health Care, Milwaukee
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