Publicly Reported Patient Satisfaction Scores in Academic Otolaryngology Departments

Laryngopharyngeal reflux diagnosis: Factors associated with patient satisfaction

PURPOSE

To examine the patient experience of laryngopharyngeal reflux diagnosis and factors that contributed to perceived difficulty with the process.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A 32-question anonymous survey was administered to individuals over 18 years old who reported a diagnosis of laryngopharyngeal reflux. The survey contained questions regarding demographics and individuals' experiences during the diagnostic workup along with the generic short patient experiences questionnaire. Percentages were calculated for all variables. Kendall rank correlation coefficient was performed to measure the strength and direction of association between laryngopharyngeal reflux workup and perceived difficulty with diagnosis.

RESULTS

Of the 232 respondents, 59.9 % reported difficulty with the diagnostic process. Strong positive correlations were found between perceived difficulty with laryngopharyngeal reflux diagnosis and the following factors: total number of physicians seen (τb = 0.483, p < 0.001), time from symptom onset (τb = 0.300, p < 0.001), and time from first physician visit (τb = 0.479, p < 0.001). Results from the generic short patient experiences questionnaire showed moderate negative correlations between perceived difficulty with diagnosis and the following factors: perceived competence of physician (τb = -0.228, p < 0.001), perception that the physician cared for the patient (τb = -0.253, p < 0.001), perceived interest the physician had in the patient (τb = -0.259, p < 0.001), and time interacting with the physician (τb = -0.226, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Respondents report difficulty being diagnosed with laryngopharyngeal reflux. This correlates with increased time to receive a diagnosis, increased number of physicians seen, and factors related to the patient-physician relationship. Physicians can improve patient experience by focusing on clear communication with interactive patient appointments, and scheduling high yield diagnostic tests.

A natural language processing approach to uncover patterns among online ratings of otolaryngologists

BACKGROUND

Patients increasingly use physician rating websites to evaluate and choose potential healthcare providers. A sentiment analysis and machine learning approach can uniquely analyse written prose to quantitatively describe patients' perspectives from interactions with their physicians.

METHODS

Online written reviews and star scores were analysed from Healthgrades.com using a natural language processing sentiment analysis package. Demographics of otolaryngologists were compared and a multivariable regression for individual words was performed.

RESULTS

This study analysed 18 546 online reviews of 1240 otolaryngologists across the USA. Younger otolaryngologists (aged less than 40 years) had higher sentiment and star scores compared with older otolaryngologists (p < 0.001). Male otolaryngologists had higher sentiment and star scores compared with female otolaryngologists (p < 0.001). 'Confident', 'kind', 'recommend' and 'comfortable' were words associated with positive reviews (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Positive bedside manner was strongly reflected in better reviews, and younger age and male gender of the otolaryngologist were associated with better sentiment and star scores.

Impact of Giving Patients Your Personal Phone Number in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery

OBJECTIVE

Patient-provider communication is a major barrier to care, with some providers giving their personal phone number (PPN) to patients for increased accessibility. We investigated participant utilization of provider's PPN, its effect on participant satisfaction, provider's ability to predict abuse of this practice, and evolving provider perceptions.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective, randomized study.

SETTING

Single institution, tertiary referral center.

METHODS

During a 2-week period, otolaryngology patients were randomized to either receive their provider's PPN or not. Providers predicted the likelihood of abuse. All calls/texts were documented for 4 weeks. At the study's conclusion, participants were surveyed using Press Ganey metrics. Providers were surveyed before and after to assess their likelihood of providing patients with their PPN and its impact on work demands.

RESULTS

Of the 507 participants enrolled, 266 were randomized to the phone number group (+PN). Of 44 calls/texts from 24 participants, 8 were considered inappropriate. Ten participants were predicted to abuse the PPN, but only one was accurately identified. Participants in the +PN group had a greater mean composite satisfaction score than the control group (4.8 vs 4.3; Welch's t-test, P < .0011). At the conclusion of the study, providers were more likely to share their PPN (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, P < .0313), and their perceived impact of this practice on workload was lower (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, P < .0469).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates low patient utilization of provider PPNs, and poor provider predictive ability of patient abuse. Receipt of provider's PPN was associated with improved patient satisfaction.