Building better pediatric surgeons: A sentiment analysis of online physician review websites

Application of sentiment and word frequency analysis of physician review sites to evaluate refractive surgery care

Background

Online physician reviews increase transparency in health care, helping patients make informed decisions about their provider. Language processing techniques can quantify this data and allow providers to better understand patients' experiences, perspectives, and priorities. The objective of this study was to assess patient satisfaction and understand the aspects of care that are valued by patients seeking refractive care using sentiment and word frequency analysis.

Methods

Written reviews and Star ratings for members of the Refractive Surgery Alliance Society practicing in the United States were collected from Healthgrades, a popular physician rating website. Surgeons with at least one written review were included in the study. Reviews were scored from -1 (most negative) to +1 (most positive) using Valence Aware Dictionary sEntiment Reasoner (VADER). Reviews were stratified by demographic characteristics, namely gender, region, and years in practice. Word frequency analysis was applied to find the most common words and phrases.

Results

A total of 254 specialists and 3104 reviews were analyzed, with an average of 4.4/5 stars and mean 48 ratings each. Most physicians had positive reviews (96%, average VADER ​= ​0.69). Younger physicians (<20 years since residency) had significantly higher Stars rating than senior peers (>20 years) (P ​< ​0.001). A similar trend was observed in VADER score (0.71 vs 0.69), although not statistically significant (P ​= ​0.06). No statistical differences were observed between Stars rating and VADER score by gender (P ​= ​0.66, P ​= ​0.83) or by geographical region (P ​= ​0.74, P ​= ​0.07). "Staff" (n ​= ​1269), "professional" (n ​= ​631), "office" (n ​= ​523), "questions" (n ​= ​424), and "friendly" (n ​= ​386) were frequently used in reviews, along with phrases such as "the staff" (n ​= ​273) and "my questions" (n ​= ​174). "Surgery" (n ​= ​719), "staff" (n ​= ​576), "procedure" (n ​= ​251), "experience" (n ​= ​243), and "professional" (n ​= ​240) were the most common words in positive reviews, while "surgery" (n ​= ​147), "office" (n ​= ​86), "staff" (n ​= ​54), "time" (n ​= ​47), and "insurance" (n ​= ​28) were the most commonly used in negative reviews.

Conclusions

Both the average Stars and VADER sentiment score suggest a high satisfaction among refractive patients. Word frequency analysis revealed that patients value non-clinical aspects of care, including interactions with staff, insurance coverage, and wait-times, suggesting that improving non-clinical factors could enhance patient satisfaction with refractive surgery.

Evaluating Pediatric Ophthalmic Care Using Sentiment Analysis of Physician Review Sites

PURPOSE

To assess patient satisfaction within pediatric ophthalmology and identify trends in patient sentiment.

METHODS

Pediatric ophthalmologists in the United States were identified using the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus member directory. Demographic data were recorded using publicly available websites. Online written reviews and Stars ratings were obtained from Healthgrades.com. A sentiment analysis package, Valence Aware Dictionary for Sentimental Reasoning (VADER), was used to generate a compound score of reviews, and word frequency analyses were applied.

RESULTS

A total of 377 pediatric ophthalmologists (2,640 online reviews) were evaluated. Physicians received an average of 4.22/5 Stars and a compound sentiment score of 0.56, indicating positive sentiment. No differences in scores were observed by gender or location, although physicians with fewer years in practice had higher Stars ratings compared to peers (P < .001). The three most common words in the word frequency analysis of all reviews were "surgery," "staff," and "time," with heavy emphasis on bedside manner and addressing patient concerns.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates overall high patient satisfaction in pediatric ophthalmology care, with differences in sentiment based on physician demographic features. The study highlights that patient perspective is influenced by non-clinical features of care. These data may be used by pediatric ophthalmologists seeking to improve health care delivery. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2024;61(3):211-218.].

Application of Patient Sentiment Analysis to Evaluate Glaucoma Care

PURPOSE

Patients utilize online physician reviews to decide between and rate ophthalmologists. Sentiment analysis allows for better understanding of patient experiences. In this study, Valence Aware Dictionary sEntiment Reasoner (VADER) and word frequency analysis of glaucoma specialist Healthgrades reviews were used to determine factors prioritized by patients.

DESIGN

Retrospective cross-sectional analysis.

PARTICIPANTS

N/A.

METHODS

Written reviews and Star ratings of glaucoma specialists listed under the Physicians Payments Sunshine Acts were obtained, and demographic information was collected. Valence Aware Dictionary sEntiment Reasoner produced Negative, Neutral, Positive, and Compound scores of reviews, and these were stratified by demographic variables. Word frequency review was applied to determine popular words and phrases.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Star ratings, VADER Compound score of written reviews, and highest word frequencies.

RESULTS

A total of 203 glaucoma specialists and 3531 written reviews were assessed. Glaucoma specialists had an average of 4.26/5 stars, with a mean of 30 ratings per physician on Healthgrades. Most physicians (86%) had overall Positive written reviews (VADER = 0.74), indicating high patient satisfaction. Specialists who were women or had fewer years of practice had higher Compound and Star scores than their respective male and senior counterparts, with statistical significance observed between junior and senior physician Stars (P < 0.001). Repeated words pertaining to the surgery, staff, wait times, and questions were common overall and among the most positive and most negative reviews.

CONCLUSIONS

Glaucoma specialist patients value nonclinical factors, such as appointment setting and nonphysician health-care staff members, in their written reviews. Thus, factors beyond clinical outcomes are influential in the overall patient experience and should be considered to improve health-care delivery. These results can also advise ophthalmologists on factors that patients prioritize when evaluating physicians, which influences the decisions of other patients seeking glaucoma care.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S)

The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.

Uncovering emotional and network dynamics in the speech of patients with chronic low back pain

BACKGROUND

Computational linguistics allows an understanding of language structure and different forms of expression of patients' perceptions.

AIMS

The aims of this study were (i) to carry out a descriptive analysis of the discourse of people with chronic low back pain using sentiment analysis (SA) and network analysis; (ii) to verify the correlation between patients' profiles, pain intensity and disability levels with SA and network analysis; and (iii) to identify clusters in our sample according to language and SA using an unsupervised machine learning technique.

METHODS

We performed a secondary analysis of a qualitative study including participants with chronic non-specific low back pain. We used the data related to participants' feelings when they received the diagnosis. The SA and network analysis were performed using the Valence Aware Dictionary and sEntiment Reasoner, and the Speech Graph, respectively. Clustering was performed using the K-means algorithm.

RESULTS

In the SA, the mean composite score was -0.31 (Sd. = 0.58). Most participants presented a negative discourse (n = 41; 72%). Word Count (WC) and Largest Strongly connected Component (LSC) positively correlated with education. No statistically significant correlations were observed between pain intensity, disability levels, SA, and network analysis. Two clusters were identified in our sample.

CONCLUSION

The SA showed that participants reported their feeling when describing the moment of the diagnosis using sentences with negative discourse. We did not find a statistically significant correlation between pain intensity, disability levels, SA, and network analysis. Education level presented positive correlation with WC and LSC.

Qualitative feedback from caregivers in a multidisciplinary pediatric neuromuscular clinic

OBJECTIVE

This study explored family satisfaction and perceived quality of care in a pediatric neuromuscular care clinic to assess the value of the multidisciplinary clinic (MDC) model in delivering coordinated care to children with neuromuscular disorders, such as cerebral palsy.

METHODS

Caregivers of 22 patients were administered a qualitative survey assessing their perceptions of clinic efficiency, care coordination, and communication. Surveys were audio-recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was completed using both deductive and inductive methods.

RESULTS

All caregivers reported that providers adequately communicated next steps in the patient's care, and most reported high confidence in caring for the patient as a result of the clinic. Four major themes were identified from thematic analysis: Care Delivery, Communication, Care Quality, and Family-Centeredness. Caregivers emphasized that the MDC model promoted access to care, enhanced efficiency, promoted provider teamwork, and encouraged shared care planning. Caregivers also valued a physical environment that was suitable for patients with complex needs.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that caregivers believed the MDC model was both efficient and convenient for pediatric patients with neuromuscular disorders. This model has the potential to streamline medical care and can be applied more broadly to improve care coordination for children with medical complexity.