Online ratings of US doctors and surgeons reveal gender-biased reviewers

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-02-15 03:00

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US scientists compared online reviews of male and female doctors and surgeons, including a total of 345,053 reviews of 167,150 physicians. They found females were more likely than males to receive comments about their 'bedside manner', particularly negative and critical comments. Both females and males were equally likely to receive comments on their technical competence, but females were more likely than males to receive negative comments and less likely to receive positive comments. When it came to star ratings, reviewers were generally more harsh in their judgment of females, awarding fewer stars, especially when accompanied by a negative comment. The findings suggest online reviews disproportionately penalise female physicians in star ratings, the authors say. Educating patients about gender bias, rewording surveys to encourage gender balance, and providing expert or more objective reviews of physicians could all help address the problem, the experts conclude.