A Doctor Review is a Huge Help

Doctor review Online allows patients to post their reviews of their physician to an online consumer based web site in order to help other consumers pick their next doctor. But can you really judge and review a doctor’s care as accurately as you can judge and review any other professional? If a plumber does a bad job the problem is fairly easy to trace back to the site of the problem and assess blame. If a physician on the other hand does a bad job is it really that easy to lay blame? Patients who are difficult or who fail to follow their doctor’s advice or fail to take care of themselves can easily lay their demising health issues on the shoulders of their physician and post their opinion on doctor review online.
Doctors however are not miracle workers. They can not un-ring the bell anymore than the patient can. Doctors can not undo health damage or prevent it if patients refuse to follow treatment plans or adhere to restrictions in their lifestyles such as to stop smoking or to stop consuming alcohol. And patients who have unrealistic expectations can easily review and rate a doctor as callous or uncaring for being straight forward with a diagnosis and honest about options. Is it helpful to read doctor review online or does it just help to paint a false picture about health care?
This question is the center of the debate amongst doctors who oppose patients posting their reviews on line and doctors who support the idea. Some advocates feel that the more public the “outing’ the more likely a change will occur in how the doctor in question relates to their patients.
Other doctors are not as optimistic about the use of a doctor review website to affect a change. After all there are so many unknown circumstances that can go into any person’s perspective, especially in the more delicate area of health care.
Doctors, unlike the patients who post, can not respond to any criticism in a public format to point out inconsistencies or to ask for clarification. If a plumber or painter on the other hand gets a bad review, they are free to reply to the poster and give their side of the issue.
But since doctors are severely limited by privacy laws and can not defend themselves publicly against any allegations made, is it fair to have these forums? Many opponents raise the query that this creates an unfair advantage for patients over their doctor, whose livelihood is being threatened.
In order to create a balanced system, should patients who choose to post be forced to allow their doctors to respond- possibly even using private medical information to do so if necessary? Until it becomes a balanced format, patients and consumers should read reviews as a guideline but reserve their final judgment based on their own experiences with the doctor.