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This article originally appeared on the PatientPop website

After polling healthcare practices in 2018 to understand how they approach the challenges of online reputation management, we turned our focus to the patient perspective.

PatientPop asked 839 people about online reputation in general and patient reviews specifically. We wanted to know what role reputation plays when patients research and ultimately select a provider. We also wanted insight into the online sources they rely upon when looking for care and whether they've posted reviews of their experience with providers.

With insights from this survey, we can begin tracking trends in patients' online habits and their level of reliance on reviews. More important, healthcare providers can see the value — and urgency — in maintaining a strong reputation and addressing feedback as a key component of patient satisfaction.
 

Key findings

• 74.6% of people have looked online to find out about a doctor, a dentist, or medical care.
• 57.1% of people go online sometimes or often to look for care.
• When choosing a healthcare provider, 69.9% of people consider a positive online reputation to be very or extremely important.
• 51.8% of patients who've submitted negative feedback had not been contacted by the practice to address their concerns. Of patients 45 and older, 72.7% were not contacted.
• When a patient's negative feedback is addressed by the practice, the rate of patient satisfaction roughly doubles, increasing 99%.
• Patients 30-44 are the most active age group when looking for providers (85.8%), checking reviews (65%), and posting a review (40.3%).

Read the full report here