Physician Reviews: Ask The Patients

There are many websites available that feature physician reviews that can be written by the patients. Many people are nervous about visiting a new doctor, and even if the doctor has the qualifications to serve a new patient, there may be some other factors that are not mentioned. Physician reviews written by patients will detail aspects of the doctor's professionalism, including their office staff and bedside manner. This can be very important for patients who may value their privacy, or need to find a doctor that can make them feel more comfortable during their visits.

Physician reviews include a number of basic factors that will be useful to patients when it comes to compiling a short list of appropriate doctors. These factors will include education and training, specialty, years of experience, awards and sanctions, and hospital affiliations. This is important information to start with because some patients might be looking for a specific specialty. While a general practitioner may be qualified to perform basic health care including check-ups, there expertise is limited when it comes to helping those with more serious health issues. Hospital affiliations may be important to some patients because they may have health conditions that require equipment that is only available in a hospital. If the doctor is not affiliated with the right hospital, they cannot serve their patients in the event that their doctor's office does not have the equipment they need. This is also an indicator of the doctor's expertise because if they have very few hospital affiliations this may be because they do not meet some of the strict requirements that many hospital have in order to assume liability. Likewise, a physician's years of experience and awards and sanctions is indicative of the doctor's success in their career. If a doctor has received an sanctions this should be a red flag. If the physician review lists any awards, this can be helpful because that particular doctor may be more knowledgeable than other doctors in their field.

Although these basic factors are important, the online physician reviews written by the doctor's patients will be equally as helpful once you have compiled a list of doctors to fit your basic needs. For instance, some doctors that can fit your needs might not always be readily available in the event of an emergency. This can be detrimental toward making quick decisions that may depend on the patient's life if another physician must step in to replace the primary physician. It can be more difficult for another doctor to make the proper decisions if they are not familiar with the patient. If this is the case, the patient reviews will make some mention of this. Furthermore, professionalism and bedside manner can be very important, especially when it comes to intimate health care issues. If the doctor has a poor office staff or bedside manner, this can make the patient feel uncomfortable. Patient discomfort can have a profound effect on health care and recovery, no matter how educated and qualified the doctor may be. Likewise, the physician may be very knowledgeable despite a lack of experience. Patient reviews can detail this aspect if the basic information does not reflect years of experience.

Going online and carefully reading physician reviews written by patient's can give you a more well-rounded idea of how a new doctor might fit your health care needs.