Doctor Web sites offer helpful tips qualification but limited

If you have ever used the Internet to find a health care provider, chances are you've run through the physician rating sites that Healthgrades.com or RateMDs.com. In addition, websites that offer reviews of everything from restaurants to repair (like Yelp and Angie's List) include criticism of physicians, dentists and other health professionals. A recent survey found that nearly a third of Americans had read reviews online on medical patients, and 21% had used when choosing a physician.

Comments narrative in which patients describe their experiences with doctors in their own words, may be useful for consumers and doctors, according to a sounding board this week in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). But these reports would be more useful if it was raised and reported with the same scientific rigor used to collect other types of information on health, say the authors.

"The feedback from the reduction of the number of check marks or stars are not very useful. We need a kind of standardized format so that consumers can leave thoughtful comments that are useful for consumers and health care providers health, "he said Dr. Helen Riess, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and director of the Program of empathy and relational science professor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

For consumers, the account can add value to the number of stars that often accompany opinions context and allow readers zero in the opinions of people with similar problems, needs and preferences. If you understand why someone gave him a clinician a certain score, you can weigh what you learn about various aspects of individual physicians against what is most important to you.While some doctors assume that most people who write reviews online doctor wishing to express a negative experience, which is apparently not the case. Studies suggest that the majority of between 65% and 90% - online patient examinations are positive.

"For a doctor, detailed patient feedback can help reinforce what you're doing and understand what is most important to their patients," says Dr. James Sabin, a professor of medicine of the population and psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Director of Care Ethics Program.

Of course, some people may be reluctant to describe a negative experience with a doctor because of fear - real or imagined - of retribution, said Dr. Riess. "Many people see doctors as authority figures. If anger or disturb a doctor, you may worry that your care will be affected," she said.In practice, psychiatry, patients share some of their stories rejected embarrassed or ridiculed by other suppliers. "I think if these providers understand the emotional impact of the unknown or revoked sensation, change their behavior towards their patients," she said. This is the objective of Empathetics, Dr. Riess company providing empathy and skills interpersonal training for health professionals created.

It is certainly plausible that you can find a sympathetic doctor by reading reviews online, as many write-ups include details on how to listen to the doctor and if he or she is caring and compassionate. But there is a downside to this approach, as the NEJM article points out. Medical grade Sites found more easily in all web searches include space for patient feedback. But only 40% of them present data on other quality indicators, as well as providers realized in terms of providing timely appointments and following the guidelines for preventive screenings.

In addition, most existing websites post comments from any source, without the assurance that comes from recent real patients. And review sites only revenues from commercial advertising sites pushed to increase their ranking in Internet searches are often explains Dr. Sabin. So, he advises, they do not rely solely on these comments.

In the words of my colleague Heidi Godman in his post hospital notes, it is best to use all available information for you to be an educated consumer health. If you are looking for a new doctor, Dr. Sabin recommended before talking with trusted friends or family. Next, check online reviews this specific doctor and his group practice, as appropriate. Find a doctor with a lot of comments - at least 20 to 25 - and not worry too much if the reviews are mixed. If you have a specific health problem, seek measures that indicate how well the practice manages people with the same problem and what patients say about their experience and clinical practice as a whole.
By: Julie Corliss