Effect of Negative Online Reviews and Physician Responses on Health Consumers' Choice: Experimental Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of online medical services. Although some researchers have investigated how numerical ratings affect consumer choice, limited studies have focused on the effect of negative reviews that most concern physicians.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate how negative review features, including proportion (low/high), claim type (evaluative/factual), and physician response (absence/presence), influence consumers' physician evaluation process under conditions in which a physician's overall rating is high.

Methods

Using a 2×2×2 between-subject decision-controlled experiment, this study examined participants' judgment on physicians with different textual reviews. Collected data were analyzed using the t test and

SUBMITTER: Han X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10966444 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature