Just about everyone has spent time looking for the right doctor. Whether you’re new to the area or just want the best for your family, you might find yourself searching online for the options near you and wondering how to best narrow your options down. A world-class plastic surgeon and the inventor of the minimal access deep-plane extended facelift, Dr. Jacono reviews the process of finding the right doctor and offers a few important considerations for evaluating their reviews online.
Know What You’re Looking For
First, Dr. Jacono recommends knowing what exactly it is you’re looking for in the first place so that you can evaluate the reviews you find online with a good sense of your situation. If you need a good doctor for your young children, for example, you’ll have a different evaluation rubric than you would if you were looking for an OBGYN for yourself. It’s always important to keep in mind who the patient is going to be and what kind of personality and bedside manner will be the most helpful for them to be receptive. For different kinds of doctors, different kinds of reviews may be more or less helpful for making a decision.
Consider both the Quantity and the Quality
Dr. Jacono goes on to say that, though it may sound basic, it’s also important to consider how many reviews any given doctor has. If a provider only has one or two reviews, after all, and they’re negative, it could very well be true that those patients just so happen to be some of the few that feel that way. But if you see dozens or more reviews that are peppered with negative comments and low scores, you can better trust that the data you’re finding on that reviewing website is accurate. According to Jacono, it’s also important to consider, as objectively as you can, the quality of any given negative review that you’re particularly concerned about. If a review seems to lack sincerity, for example, there’s a chance it may not be the most reliable source.
In the end, Dr. Jacono’s advice can be boiled down to this: Focus on what your family needs, don’t believe everything you read on the internet, and use discernment when choosing a doctor. In the end, you’ll be glad you put the appropriate time and effort into it for the sake of both you and your family.