Consumer Decision-Making Based on Review Websites: Are There Differences Between Choosing a Hotel and Choosing a Physician?
22 Parents Studied
SOURCE
https://www.jmir.org/2016/6/e129/
REFERENCE
81
NICE
REFERENCE
123
organisation
Journal of Medical Internet Research
TITLE
Consumer Decision-Making Based on Review Websites: Are There Differences Between Choosing a Hotel and Choosing a Physician?
22 Parents Studied
SOURCE
https://www.jmir.org/2016/6/e129/
DISC COMMENTARY
This qualitative study observed how people use online review websites differently when choosing a physician compared to choosing a hotel, even though the two types of website often look and function almost identically.
What was studied?
22 parents were observed choosing both a hotel via a hotel review site and a paediatrician via a physician review site, thinking aloud throughout, so researchers could compare the scrutiny each decision received.
What did they find?
Participants spent longer researching hotels, about 10 minutes, than physicians, about 6 minutes, yet felt more confident in their physician choice. This came down to trusting medical credentials and relying on gut feeling over ratings.
Why it matters
Patients generally do not, and often cannot, evaluate a clinician the way they would evaluate a hotel room. Personal rapport and trust matter enormously in how people actually choose who to see for their care.
Why we included it
It illustrates a wider pattern in how people choose healthcare providers: personal trust and connection outweigh formal comparison, unlike almost any other consumer decision.
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What was studied?
22 parents were observed choosing both a hotel via a hotel review site and a paediatrician via a physician review site, thinking aloud throughout, so researchers could compare the scrutiny each decision received.
What did they find?
Participants spent longer researching hotels, about 10 minutes, than physicians, about 6 minutes, yet felt more confident in their physician choice. This came down to trusting medical credentials and relying on gut feeling over ratings.
Why it matters
Patients generally do not, and often cannot, evaluate a clinician the way they would evaluate a hotel room. Personal rapport and trust matter enormously in how people actually choose who to see for their care.
Why we included it
It illustrates a wider pattern in how people choose healthcare providers: personal trust and connection outweigh formal comparison, unlike almost any other consumer decision.