Gender and personalized profile information influence online ratings of Canadian academic ophthalmologists.

Objective: To determine the characteristics associated with higher online ratings of academic ophthalmologists in Canada.

Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study.

Methods: All ophthalmologists affiliated with Canadian ophthalmology departments were queried in March 2023 using WebMDs. Online ratings and physician profile details were extracted and descriptively analyzed using nonparametric tests with significance at p < 0.05. Subgroup analysis was conducted using ≥ 4-star rated profiles.

Results: Eight hundred and ninety-nine department faculty from 15 institutions were considered, and 660 ophthalmologists with active, rated profiles were included. A total of 27,823 online ratings with a median of 4.14 stars (out of 5) were observed. Most profiles were of men (74.1%). Women received lower overall ratings compared to men (median = 4.08 vs. 4.20; p = 0.021), and lower number of reviews (median = 23 vs. 34; p < 0.001). Most profiles included office addresses (87.9%), private practice affiliation (79.8%), and contact information (51.1%). There was a positive correlations between higher ratings and profiles that included biographies (rho = 0.13; p = 0.001), languages spoken (rho = 0.15; p < 0.001), educational background (rho = 0.13; p < 0.001), areas of expertise (rho = 0.10; p = 0.010), awards (rho = 0.12; p = 0.002), and among physicians indicating they accept new patients (rho = 0.15; p < 0.001) and accommodate virtual visits (rho = 0.09; p = 0.020).

Conclusions: Canadian ophthalmologists having certain personal information on their online profiles tended to have higher ratings, despite weak associations, possibly due to wider public outreach. Women had fewer and lower overall ratings compared to men. Further research about online ratings' influence on physician selection and physician career satisfaction is needed.