Do Health Care Providers Use Online Patient Ratings to Improve the Quality of Care? Results From an Online-Based Cross-Sectional Study.
Emmert M, Meszmer N, Sander U (2016)
Publication Status: Published
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2016
Journal
Book Volume: 18
Pages Range: e254
Journal Issue: 9
DOI: 10.2196/jmir.5889
Abstract
BACKGROUND\nPhysician-rating websites have become a popular tool to create more transparency about the quality of health care providers. So far, it remains unknown whether online-based rating websites have the potential to contribute to a better standard of care.\nOBJECTIVE\nOur goal was to examine which health care providers use online rating websites and for what purposes, and whether health care providers use online patient ratings to improve patient care.\nMETHODS\nWe conducted an online-based cross-sectional study by surveying 2360 physicians and other health care providers (September 2015). In addition to descriptive statistics, we performed multilevel logistic regression models to ascertain the effects of providers' demographics as well as report card-related variables on the likelihood that providers implement measures to improve patient care.\nRESULTS\nOverall, more than half of the responding providers surveyed (54.66%, 1290/2360) used online ratings to derive measures to improve patient care (implemented measures: mean 3.06, SD 2.29). Ophthalmologists (68%, 40/59) and gynecologists (65.4%, 123/188) were most likely to implement any measures. The most widely implemented quality measures were related to communication with patients (28.77%, 679/2360), the appointment scheduling process (23.60%, 557/2360), and office workflow (21.23%, 501/2360). Scaled-survey results had a greater impact on deriving measures than narrative comments. Multilevel logistic regression models revealed medical specialty, the frequency of report card use, and the appraisal of the trustworthiness of scaled-survey ratings to be significantly associated predictors for implementing measures to improve patient care because of online ratings.\nCONCLUSIONS\nOur results suggest that online ratings displayed on physician-rating websites have an impact on patient care. Despite the limitations of our study and unintended consequences of physician-rating websites, they still may have the potential to improve patient care.
Authors with CRIS profile
Martin Emmert
Juniorprofessur für Versorgungsmanagement
Nina Meszmer
Lehrstuhl für Betriebswirtschaftslehre, insbesondere Gesundheitsmanagement
Involved external institutions
Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Emmert, M., Meszmer, N., & Sander, U. (2016). Do Health Care Providers Use Online Patient Ratings to Improve the Quality of Care? Results From an Online-Based Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 18(9), e254. https://dx.doi.org/10.2196/jmir.5889
MLA:
Emmert, Martin, Nina Meszmer, and Uwe Sander. "Do Health Care Providers Use Online Patient Ratings to Improve the Quality of Care? Results From an Online-Based Cross-Sectional Study." Journal of Medical Internet Research 18.9 (2016): e254.
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