Evaluation of American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS) Surgeons’ Social Media Presence and Online Reviews

Abstract

Purpose : To evaluate the influence of American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS) surgeons’ social media (SM) presence on patient satisfaction scores using leading physician review websites.

Methods : Six hundred and forty-seven surgeons in the United States were included in this study using the directory of registered ASOPRS members. Surgeon demographics and review data were collected from 3 physician rating websites: Healthgrades (H), Vitals (V), and Google Business Rating (G) from August 1, 2018, to September 30, 2018. Using only the first 10 search results from Google.com, we identified the presence of Twitter (TW) and/or Instagram (IG) of surgeons. Outcome measures from 1) physician review websites [overall ratings, numbers of ratings, numbers of comments, and patient-reported wait times] and 2) physician social media presence were collected.

Results : Among the 647 surgeons identified, the presence of TW and IG were 10.79% and 9.09%, respectively. Greater TW presence of surgeons practicing in the Northeast (15.4%) was found compared to other regions of practice (West, Midwest, and South; 15.3%, 4.1%, 8.3%, respectively)(P<0.01). Greater IG presence of surgeons age less than 40 years old (24.6%) was found compared to other age groups (40-50 years old and above 60 years old; 10.6%, 3.0%, respectively)(P<0.01). Surgeons using IG had a significantly higher overall rating on V (P<0.01), but H and G were unaffected by IG presence. TW or IG presence is significantly associated with an increased number of ratings and comments (P<0.01). There was a significant inverse correlation between patient-reported wait times and overall rating scores on H (P<0.05).

Conclusions : Review of surgeons’ SM presence revealed regional and age demographic differences. Our exploration of the impact of these SM trends on patient satisfaction ratings indicates that the presence of TW and IG impacts the number of online ratings and comments, and IG presence significantly impacts overall ratings on V. Most notably, wait times had a significant impact on overall ratings. Thus, surgeons should minimize wait times and consider SM as a new approach to engaging with their patient population.

This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.

 

Social Media Presence versus Physician Demographics, Online Reviews, and Engagement

 

Relationship Between Overall Healthgrades Ratings and Average Patient-Reported Wait Times