W37 – My Psychiatrist is a Quack! Whether and How to Respond to Online Physician Reviews

W37 – My Psychiatrist is a Quack! Whether and How to Respond to Online Physician Reviews

Saturday, Oct. 21
15:45 – 16:45 (1 hr)
Meeting Room: Beluga (3rd floor – B Tower)
Harry Karlinsky*, MD, MSc, FRCPC

CanMEDS Roles:

  1. Professional
  2. Communicator

At the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1) Distinguish online defamatory reviews from those who represent fair comment; 2) Employ potential strategies that may remedy inaccurate or malicious online physician reviews; and 3) Minimize the occurrence of negative online reviews.

Online physician reviews, such as those found on physician-rating websites like RateMDs, continue to increase and can have significant consequences for physicians. Although most reviews are positive, negative online reviews can damage a physician’s professional reputation and emotional well-being and influence care decisions made by prospective and existing patients and physicians. This workshop will examine the content and determinants of online reviews, their correlation to other physician performance metrics, and the significant limitations of physician-rating websites. Psychiatrists may be particularly vulnerable to negative online reviews given their involvement with involuntary patients and patients with challenging personality disorders, the need to limit access to addictive medications, and the obligatory ‘duty to report’ clinical scenarios. For psychiatrists confronted with online reviews they consider inaccurate or malicious, a range of potential responses will be presented, including possible legal remedies. Proactive measures to minimize the likelihood of negative online reviews will also be described. Throughout the workshop, attendees will be encouraged to share their experiences with online reviews and their management strategies. Sample online reviews and polling questions will be included in the workshop to stimulate discussion.

References:

  1. Luo J. A guide for the 21st century psychiatrist to managing your online reputation, your privacy, and professional use of social media. Psychiatr Clin North Am 2019;42(4):649–658.
  2. Hong YA, Liang C, Radcliff TA, et al. What do patients say about doctors online? A systematic review of studies on patient online reviews. J Med Internet Res 2019;21(4):e12521.