The Use of Physician Rating Sites and Their Impact on Physician Preference

Aim: This study aims to determine the awareness of individuals regarding physician review websites and to examine the effect of online physician reviews on patient preferences.Method: The study was conducted with 422 participants aged 18 and over. Data were collected using the “Online Physician Reviews and Patient Preferences Scale” developed by the researcher. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed a unidimensional structure (KMO=0.805; Bartlett test x² (15)=335.73, p<0.001) and the scale showed acceptable reliability (α=0.741). Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA and regression analyses were used in the analysis of the data.Results: The findings showed that 52.8% of the participants visited physician review websites and Doktor Takvimi (a Turkish physician rating website) was the most frequently used platform. Participants stated that they used these platforms more to read physician reviews than to create content. Both positive and negative reviews were found to influence patient preferences. While no significant difference was observed in terms of gender, age, marital status, or income (p>.05), education level was found to have a significant effect (p<.05). Post hoc analyses revealed that individuals with postgraduate education were less influenced by online physician reviews than those with lower education levels. Regression analysis showed that perceived trustworthiness of online reviews significantly predicted the effects on patient preferences (β=0.468, p<.001) and explained a significant portion of the variance (R²=0.437).Conclusion: The results suggest that the influence of physician review websites on patient preferences is primarily determined by perceived trustworthiness rather than usage. Although awareness of these platforms is high, users tend to remain passive. The findings highlight the importance of trust in shaping the impact of digital health information and suggest that higher education levels may reduce reliance on such platforms.