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
doctors 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 doctors 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 persons 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.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
If youre thinking about getting a new doc, you should try consulting a
doctor
review first. Click here for more information: http://www.doctorreviewsonline.com/.