How to be a Better Colorectal Surgeon? A Sentimental Analysis of Patient Perceptions.

PURPOSE Due to the sensitive nature of colorectal surgery discussions and exams, patient opinions and attitudes towards their providers are an essential part of quality colorectaal surgery care. There are a multitude of factors related to both providers and patients that impact patients’ opinions. These include factors such as patient and provider demographics, personality traits, communication skills, and disease specific factors. METHODS This study analyzed online reviews to better grasp the relationship between patient sentiment scores and demographics of colon and rectal surgeons (CRS). Analysis of patient reviews was performed using machine learning. Additionally, it looks at how key terms found in patient reviews of CRS relate to overall patient sentiment. RESULTS Analysis included 6,986 patient reviews of 1,378 CRS. Younger surgeon age was associated with higher mean sentiment analysis scores and star ratings (P < .01). After word frequency analysis, our study found that patient reviews containing certain clinically relevant terms had an increased likelihood of receiving a positive review. Additionally, poor communication skills, negative personality traits, and rushed encounters were associated with lower surgeon ratings. CONCLUSION Physician attributes and disease specific factors both significantly impact patients’ opinions. Favorable interpersonal skills of CRS are essential to patient satisfaction. Additionally, our study found that disease specific terms like “pain” and “cancer” were associated with negative reviews indicating that patient satisfaction extends beyond traits inherent to CRS such as demographics and behavior.